Mm 


a«jK» 


m 


\j%,^  'I 


^ 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH 


CEYLON    MISSION, 


REV.  WILLIAM   W.  ROWLAND, 


AND     OF     THE 


MADURA  AND  MADRAS  MISSIONS. 


REV.  JAMES   HERRICK. 


BV 
3265 
.H68 
1865 


PI-  B  J.  T  S  II  E  D    BY    THE 


\      AMERICAN  BOARD  OF  COMMISSIONERS  FOR  FOREIGN  MISSIONS. 

:  I860. 


m'-'^S 


^j^rWmcer^ 


i\10V  13  1956 


A 


^e, 


d^ 


^OGIOM   St^ 


F     /5  .H68  1865 
Rowland,  William  W.  1817- 

1892. 
Historical  sketch  of  the 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH 


CEYLON    MISSION, 


BY 


KEY.  WILLIAM  W.  HOWLAND, 


AND     OF    THE 


MADURA  AND  MADRAS  iMISSIONS, 


REV.  JAMES   HERRICK. 


PUBLISHED    BY    THE 

AMEEJCAN  BOARD  OF  COMMISSIONERS  FOR  FOREIGN  MISSIONS. 

1865. 


SKETCH  OF  THE  CEYLON  MISSION. 


THE     FIEIilD- 

That  portion  of  the  population  of  India  which  speaks  the  Tamil  language 
numbers  about  ten  millions,  occupying  the  southern  part  of  the  peninsula,  as 
far  north  as  Madras,  and  the  northern  portion  of  the  Island  of  Ceylon.  The 
fii-st  mission  of  the  American  Board  among  this  people  was  estabhshed  in  1816, 
on  the  island  ;  as  the  government  of  Ceylon  was  at  that  time  friendly  to  mis- 
sions, while  that  of  the  British  East  India  Company,  on  the  peninsula,  was 
hostile.  The  southern  and  central  portions  of  Ceylon  are  inhabited  by  the 
Cingalese  —  a  people  of  different  language  and  religion.  The  religion  of  the 
Tamil  people  is  Brahminism  —  the  same  which  now  prevails  mostly  through- 
out Hindostan  ;  that  of  the  Cingalese  is  Buddhism.  The  Tamil  inhabitants 
of  the  island  were  originally  invaders  from  the  southern  part  of  the  peninsula. 
They  dispossessed  the  other  race,  and  now  occupy  the  northern  province, 
extending  down  as  far  as  Chilaw  on  the  west  and  Batticaloa  on  the  east.  They 
number  about  thi-ee  hundred  thousand,  besides  a  transient  population  of  about 
one  hundred  thbusand,  who  have  come  over  within  a  few  years  to  labor,  as 
coolies,  on  the  coffee  plantations  in  the  southern  central  district. 

The  mission  was  established  in  Jaffna,  an  island,  or  rather  a  cluster  of 
islands,  at  the  northern  extremity  of  Ceylon,  separated  from  each  other  by 
narrow  creeks,  and  rising  but  little  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  The  district  is 
forty  miles  long  and  fifteen  broad,  containing  a  population  of  two  hundred  and 
thirteen  thousand.  Besides  the  Tamil  people,  there  are  five  or  six  hundred 
Europeans,  principally  the  descendants  of  the  Dutch  and  Portuguese,  who  for- 
merly governed  the  island.  There  are  also  a  few  called  Moormen,  who  are  Mo- 
hammedans in  religion,  and  are  principally  engaged  in  trade.  Intercourse  is 
frequent  between  the  Tamil  people  of  the  island  and  those  of  the  peninsula. 
There  being  very  few  large  temples  on  the  island,  the  people  often  visit  those 
on  the  peninsula;  and  the  island  and  peninsula  are  mutually  dependent  on 
each  other  for  various  products  of  the  soil. 

CHARACTER    OF    THE    PEOPLE. 

In  estimating  the  nature  of  the  work  to  be  done  by  the  missionaries  among 
the  Tamil  people,  it  is  necessary  to  understand  something  of  their  character. 
It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  Hindoos,  though  heathen  and  idolaters, 


4  THE   CEYLON  MISSION. 

are  not  sunk  to  that  depth  of  degradation  found  in  Africa  and  the  islands  of 
the  Pacific.  Their  dress,  their  houses,  and  their  manner  of  life  are  such  as  not 
to  require  a  material  change  on  their  becoming  Christians.  The  dress  of  the 
higher  class  is  comfortable,  neat,  and  appropriate  for  the  climate,  that  of  the 
men  resembling  somewhat  the  ancient  lloman  costume.  A  native,  seeing  a 
representation  of  one  of  the  kings  of  England,  with  the  flowing  robes  common 
in  statuary,  asked  why  he  was  dressed  Hke  a  Hindoo.  Their  houses  are  built 
in  a  style  fitted  to  the  climate  and  the  habits  of  the  people,  and  when  well 
built,  are  comfortable  and  pleasant.  Their  principal  food  is  rice,  with  the 
fruits,  vegetables,  and  spices  of  the  country.  The  higher  castes  are  very  neat 
in  their  habits  of  cooking  and  eating,  using,  it  is  true,  their  fingers  in  eating, 
but  after  careful  washing ;  and  they  are  particular  never  to  use  the  right  hand, 
or  rice  hand,  as  it  is  called,  for  any  unclean  purpose.  Their  household  and 
other  utensils  would,  many  of  them,  seem  rude  to  strangers ;  but  they  are 
better  fitted  for  their  purposes  than  they  would  at  first  appear  to  be.  The 
same  may  be  said  of  their  implements  of  agriculture,  and  their  method  of  cul- 
tivating the  soil.  In  the  mechanical  arts  they  show  much  ingenuity  and  skill 
in  imitation,  but  have  little  power  of  invention.  The  architecture  of  some  of 
their  great  temples  justifies  the  remark  of  Bishop  Heber,  that  they  "  built  like 
giants,  and  finished  their  work  like  jewelers." 

LITEEATUKE. 

In  striking  contrast  with  those  tribes  which  have  not  even  a  written  language, 
their  literature  is  immense.  The  four  Vedas,  their  most  sacred  books,  when 
collected,  form  eleven  huge  octavo  volumes,  while  the  Paranas  extend  to  about 
two  millions  of  lines.  The  Ramayana,  another  of  then-  sacred  books,  has  a 
hundred  thousand  lines.  Well  might  Sir  William  Jones  say,  "  Wherever  we 
direct  our  attention  to  Hindoo  literature,  the  notion  of  infinity  presents  itself; 
and  sure  the  longest  life  would  not  suffice  for  a  single  perusal  of  works  that 
rise  and  swell,  protuberant  like  the  Himalayas,  above  the  bulkiest  composi- 
tions of  every  land  beyond  the  confines  of  India."  In  these  books  there  is 
much  truth  which  deserves  admiration,  but  more  that  is  folse  and  corrupt. 

In  science  as  well  as  in  literature,  with  much  that  is  false  and  absurd,  they 
have  some  true  principles.  They  have  made  considerable  progress  in  mathe- 
matics, and  have  treatises  on  arithmetic,  algebra,  geometry,  and  trigonome- 
try. The  ripe  scholar  and  learned  Orientalist,  Colebrooke,  has  instituted  a 
comparison  between  the  Hindoo  system  of  algebra  and  that  of  the  ancient 
Greeks,  and  finds  reason  to  conclude  that  in  several  most  important  respects 
the  latter  is  very  far  behind  the  former.  In  astronomy,  many  of  the  elements 
of  their  calculations,  especially  for  remote  ages,  are  verified  by  an  astonishing 
coincidence  with  the  tables  of  the  modern  astronomy  of  Europe,  when  im- 
proved by  the  latest  and  most  nice  deductions  from  the  theory  of  gravitation. 
The  Brahmins,  who  annually  circulate  a  kind  of  almanac,  containing  astro- 
nomical predictions  of  the  more  remarkable  phenomena  in  the  heavens,  —  such 
as  the  new  and  full  moons,  and  eclipses  of  the  sun  and  moon;  —  are  in  posses- 
sion of  certain  methods  of  calculation,  which,  upon  examination,  are  found  to 
involve  a  very  extensive   system  of  astronomical  knowledge.      But  though 


MORAL  CONDITION — BONDAGE  TO    SUPERSTITION.  5 

skilled  in  the  use  of  the  rules  contained  in  his  treatise,  the  Brahmin  has  no 
acquaintance  with  the  mode  of  theu-  structure.  In  their  ideas  of  geography, 
chronology,  and  medicine,  there  is  but  little  truth,  and  much  that  is  extrava- 
gant, and  even  ridiculous. 

MORAL    CONDITION. 

It  is  the  moral  condition  of  the  Hindoos  which  creates  a  demand  for  mission- 
ary labor.  Though  in  their  habits  of  life,  their  employments,  their  literature, 
and  their  science,  they  are  not  sunk  so  low  as  some  other  nations,  in  moral 
feeling  and  conduct  they  are  extremely  degraded.  This  moral  degradation  is 
the  natural  result  of  their  religion.  Worshiping  gods  and  goddesses  into  whose 
history  almost  no  element  of  virtue  enters,  who  are  represented  as  false  to  their 
word,  thievish,  licentious,  ambitious,  murderous,  —  all  indeed  that  is  repulsive, 
malignant,  and  vile,  —  it  is  not  surprising  that  the  people  should  be  no  better 
than  their  deities.  Bishop  Heber,  who  was  distinguished  alike  for  his  learn- 
ing and  accurate  observation,  and  for  an  amiability  of  character  which  led  him 
to  view  the  Hindoos  with  great  charity  and  kindness  of  feeling,  thus  speaks 
of  them :  "  I  really  have  never  met  with  a  race  of  men  whose  standard  of 
morality  is  so  low,  who  feel  so  little  apparent  shame  on  being  detected  in  a 
falsehood,  or  so  little  interest  in  the  sufferings  of  a  neighbor,  not  being  of  their 
own  caste  or  family ;  whose  ordinary  and  familiar  conversation  is  so  licentious, 
or,  in  the  wilder  and  more  lawless  districts,  who  shed  blood  with  so  little 
repugnance.  The  good  qualities  which  there  are  among  them  are  in  no  instance, 
that  I  am  aware  of,  connected  with,  or  arising  out  of,  their  religion ;  since  it 
is  in  no  instance  to  good  deeds,  or  virtuous  habits  in  life,  that  the  future  re- 
wards in  which  they  believe  are  promised.  Their  bravery,  their  fidelity  to  their 
employers,  their  temperance,  and,  wherever  they  are  found,  then-  humanity 
and  gentleness  of  disposition,  appear  to  arise  exclusively  from  a  natural  happy 
temperament,  from  an  honorable  pride  in  their  own  renown  and  the  renown  of 
their  ancestors,  and  from  the  goodness  of  God,  who  seems  unwilling  that  his 
image  should  be  entirely  effaced,  even  in  the  midst  of  the  gi'ossest  error." 

BONDAGE    TO    SUPERSTITION. 

Connected  with  their  religion  there  is  an  almost  incredible  amount  of  super- 
stition, which  enters  into  all  the  details  of  daily  life,  and  binds  them  in  chains 
which  nothing  but  divine  power  can  break.  They  are  entangled  in  its  fetters 
at  theu"  very  bii-th,  and  every  day  of  their  life  strengthens  the  bonds,  from 
which  they  are  only  delivered  by  death.  At  the  birth  of  every  child,  an  as- 
trologer is  called  to  cast  its  nativity  and  tell  its  fortune.  While  the  child  is 
still  an  unconscious  infant,  propitious  days  and  omens  are  constantly  con- 
sulted for  the  regulation  of  all  matters  of  importance  in  its  case ;  and  as  it 
awakes  to  consciousness,  it  awakes  to  the  same  hopeless  slavery  which  has 
bound  its  parents.  If  a  man  is  to  build  a  house,  the  astrologer  is  consulted  as 
to  its  position,  the  exact  place  for  the  door,  and  the  exact  moment  for  laying 
the  foundation,  which  often  comes  in  the  night.  When  the  frame  is  raised,  a 
piece  of  white  cloth,  like  a  flag,  is  fastened  to  the  ridge,  to  frighten  away  birds 
of  ill  omen  which  might  light  upon  it ;  and  with  the  same  superstition  is  the 


6  THE   CEYLON   MISSION. 

building  carried  on  to  its  completion.  The  same  regard  to  times  and  places  is 
had  in  digging  a  well,  startmg  on  a  journey,  commencing  plowing  or  harvest- 
ing ;  in  short,  it  enters  into  almost  everything  done  in  the  house  or  in  the  field. 
There  is  also  a  great  attention  to  signs  and  omens.  If  a  man,  going  out  of 
his  house  to  proceed  any  distance,  hears  a  lizard  chirp,  or  is  called  by  another 
person,  he  will  return  and  wait  a  more  favorable  moment ;  so  also  if  he  meet 
near  his  door  one  carrying  fire,  wood,  or  brown  earthen  ware.  They  are  in 
great  fear  when  a  child,  or  one  of  their  cattle,  or  a  garden  of  vegetables,  or 
anything  dear  to  them,  is  praised.  This  will,  they  suppose,  be  followed  by 
what  is  called  the  blast  of  the  tongue ;  and  if  anything  is  even  looked  upon 
with  desire,  it  will  be  exposed  to  the  blast  of  the  eye,  and  thus  the  object  of 
theii-  regard  will  perish.  It  is  usual,  therefore,  to  place  some  object  in  a 
flourishing  garden  to  divert  the  attention  of  the  passer-by ;  and  to  avoid  these 
and  many  other  evils,  and  the  supposed  mfluence  of  malignant  sj)irits,  they 
resort  to  the  use  of  a  variety  of  charms,  in  which  they  repose  great  confidence. 
The  belief  in  witchcraft,  also,  is  nearly  universal.  They  are  much  afraid  of  pro- 
voking any  one  who  will  be  likely  to  employ  the  evil  spirits  against  them,  and 
tremble  greatly  when  cursed  by  any  wandering  beggar  who  may  not  get  from 
them  all  he  asks  for.  These  are  only  a  few  of  the  many  superstitions  to  which 
they  are  in  cruel  bondage. 

PREVALENT    OPINIONS. 

There  are  certain  opinions  prevalent  among  the  people  which  are  great 
obstacles  to  then-  conversion  to  the  truth.  Among  these  might  be  mentioned 
their  ideas  of  holiness  and  sin.  Their  highest  conception  of  holiness  is  that  of 
their  supreme  deity,  who  is  represented  as  without  love  or  hate ;  above  all 
sense  of  pleasure  or  sorrow ;  in  short,  destitute  of  all  moral  aff'ections.  And 
whoever  would  be  fitted  for  absorption  into  this  "  infinite  nothing"  must,  by  a 
variety  of  self-inflicted  tortures,  gradually  subdue  ■nithin  himself  all  feeling  and 
desire.  Sin  is  to  break  the  laws  of  caste,  or  to  omit  some  of  the  numerous 
rites  and  ceremonies  prescribed  by  theii-  religion ;  while  to  lie,  cheat,  steal, 
commit  adultery,  and  wallow  like  swine  in  moral  pollution,  are  ofienses  hardly 
w'orth  naming.  They  are  only  what  their  gods  did  before  them.  All  natural  evil 
is  the  consequence  of  sin  in  a  previous  birth,  and  must  be  endured  as  a  pen- 
alty. Sin  is  to  be  atoned  for  by  works  of  merit,  such  as  giving  water  to  cows 
or  to  travelers,  giving  rice  to  Brahmins  or  to  beggars,  digging  wells  or  build- 
ing rest  houses  for  travelers,  building  and  supporting  temples. 

This  idea  of  justification  by  works  of  merit  produces  among  them,  as  every- 
where else,  hatred  to  Christ  and  the  free  salvation  which  he  oiTers.  They  often 
say  to  the  missionary,  "  Preach  to  us  about  the  one  true  God  ;  we  are  willing  to 
hear  that ;  but  don't  talk  to  us  about  Christ."  Then-  ideas  of  the  future  life 
and  of  fate,  their  belief  that  a  man  is  safe  in  any  religion  if  he  is  only  sincere, 
and  their  system  of  caste,  dividing  the  people  into  clans  hating  and  scowling 
defiance  at  each  other,  make  efl'orts  for  their  salvation  peculiarly  discouraging. 

Their  religion  also  has  a  strong  hold  upon  their  afl'ections  and  associations. 
Their  holidays  are  their  religious  festivals.  Young  and  old  look  forward  to 
these  days  with  joyful  anticipations.  The  pomp  and  splendor,  the  decorations 
of  the  temple  and  of  the  car  cf  the  idol,  the  processions  and  music,  the  display 


PORTUGUESE  AND   DUTCH   CHlilSTIANITY.  7 

of  fu-eworks,  and  the  meeting  of  a  multitude,  render  tliem  occasions  of  great 
attraction.  To  the  child,  especially,  they  arc  the  great  days,  around  which 
pleasant  memories  cluster  long  after ;  and  when  he  meets  his  companions,  they 
together  make  a  little  mimic  car,  and  placing  in  it  an  idol  of  clay,  act  over  the 
scenes  of  the  festival.  Thus  is  their  religion  entwined  in  their  afl'ections.  It 
is  the  religion  of  their  fathers  and  ancestors,  rendered  venerable  and  sacred  by 
its  antiquity.  Lilie  the  lofty  towers  of  one  of  their  own  temples,  its  moss- 
covered  turrets  are  associated  with  all  the  delightsome  di'cams  of  childhood, 
and  all  the  pleasant  remembrances  of  age  ;  and  it  is  not  surprising  that  they 
consider  it  heaven-daring  sacrilege  to  attempt  to  destroy  it. 

PORTUGUESE    AND    DUTCH    CHRISTIANITT. 

The  experience  which  the  people  of  Jaffna  had  already  had  of  Christianity 
was  not  calculated  to  impress  them  in  its  favor.  In  1544,  Francis  Xavier  first 
visited  North  Ceylon,  and  baptized  from  six  to  seven  hundred  converts.  The 
Portuguese  had  akeady  established  theii'  power  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
island,  and  not  long  after  all  Jaffna  was  brought  by  them  under  the  power  of  the 
church.  It  was  divided  into  thirty-two  parishes,  each  of  which  was  provided 
with  a  chapel  and  school-house,  and,  where  requu'ed,  a  house  for  the  residence 
of  the  Franciscan  priest,  who  Avas  to  officiate.  The  policy  of  the  Jesuits  i:r  In- 
dia was  to  adopt,  almost  without  qualification,  the  practices  of  the  idolatry  of 
the  country ;  the  old  rites  and  ceremonies,  festivals,  religious  processions,  and 
superstitions ;  only  giving  Christian  names  and  titles  to  the  idols  which  are 
the  objects  of -worship;  and  by  the  aid  of  government  influence,  in  a  few  years, 
almost  the  entire  population  of  Jaffna,  including  even  the  Brahmins  them- 
selves, had  nominally  abjured  their  religion,  and  submitted  to  the  ceremony  of 
baptism.  There  are  still  some  thousands  of  Romanists  in  the  province,  whose 
worship  scarcely  differs  from  that  of  the  heathen,  except  in  the  names  of  the 
gods  and  festivals.  In  moral  character  they  are  in  some  respects  lower  than 
their  countrymen,  especially  as  they  are  more  addicted  to  intemperance. 

About  a  century  later,  the  Dutch  obtained  control  of  the  island.  They  took 
possession  of  the  Papal  churches  in  Jaffna,  established  a  school  in  connection 
with  each,  and  by  a  complete  union  of  church  and  state  —  making  assent  to 
the  Helvetic  confession  of  faith  necessary  to  the  holding  of  any  office  of  profit 
or  trust  under  government  —  secured  a  large  number  of  nominal  converts.  It  is 
represented,  that  in  1688  the  number  of  Christians  in  Jaffna  amounted  to  one 
hundred  and  eighty  thousand.  But  they  were  at  heart  idolaters ;  and  when 
the  English  took  possession  of  the  island,  in  1796,  and  allowed  the  natives  the 
free  exercise  of  their  own  superstitions,  the  churches  were  immediately  deserted 
and  left  to  decay,  the  heathen  temples  were  rebuilt,  and  almost  every  vestige 
of  Christianity  was  soon  lost.  There  is  still,  now  and  then,  an  old  man  to  be 
found  who  was  baptized  by  the  Dutch,  but  with  no  knowledge  of  Christianity, 
except,  perhaps,. an  imperfect  recollection  of  the  Dutch  Catechism. 


8  THE   CEYLON   MISSION. 

THE    A.TS^T=3B,ICA.lSr    TS/CTeSTCTtT. 

ITS    COMMENCEMENT. 

The  first  company  of  missionaries  of  the  American  Board  to  Ceylon  con- 
sisted of  Messrs.  Meigs,  Poor,  and  Richards,  with  their  -wives,  and  Mr.  Warren. 
They  arrived  in  Jaffna  during  the  latter  part  of  1816.  The  old  Dutch 
churches,  and  the  houses  and  premises  connected  with  them,  were  gi'anted  by 
the  government  for  the  use  of  the  mission,  and  Messrs.  Poor  and  Warren 
commenced  operations  at  Tillipally,  and  Messrs.  Meigs  and  Richards  at  Batti- 
cotta.  The  ruins  were  rebuilt,  and  a  new  system  of  operations  was  com- 
menced ;  not,  this  time,  in  reliance  upon  government  influence,  or  upon  any 
compromise  with  heathenism,  but  upon  the  truth — the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus. 
The  missionaries  sought  to  bring  the  Word  of  God — the  Spirit's  own  weapon — 
in  contact  with  the  hearts  of  the  people,  trusting  in  divine  power  to  make  it 
eff"ectual  to  their  salvation.  To  hope  for  success  among  such  a  people,  with 
such  associations,  required  a  firm  faith  in  the  promises  of  God.  Henry  Martyn 
once  said,  "  If  ever  I  see  a  Hindoo  a  real  believer  in  Jesus,  I  shall  see  some- 
thing more  approaching  the  resurrection  of  a  dead  body  than  anything  I  have 
yet  seen."  The  difficulty  of  even  gaining  access  to  the  people  for  the  purpose 
of  bringing  them  under  the  infiuence  of  the  gospel,  and  the  greater  difficulty  in 
finding  a  lodgment  for  the  truth  in  minds  already  filled  with  so  much  rubbish 
as  were  those  of  the  adult  heathen,  naturally  led  the  missionaries  to  direct 
some  of  their  earlier  eff'orts  to  the  childi'en  and  youth.  There  was  reason  to 
hope  that  the  ti-uth  might  be  sown  in  their  hearts  before  they  were  filled  with 
the  tares  of  the  adversary,  and  that,  through  them,  their  parents  might  per- 
haps be  reached.  A  few  teachers  of  the  heathen  schools  were  found  willing  to 
enter  the  employ  of  the  missionaries,  and  teach  Christian  lessons  in  place  of 
the  vile  stories  of  heathenism.  The  parents  of  the  children  consented  to  the 
change,  as  they  were  thereby  relieved  from  the  support  of  their  teacher. 
These  heathen  teachers  would  not,  of  course,  feel  much  interest  in  teaching  the 
truths  of  the  Bible,  nor  make  much  eff"ort  to  impress  them  upon  the  hearts  of 
their  pupils.  It  would  not  be  strange  if  they  should  even  endeavor  to  pre- 
vent all  good  impressions  ;  but  they  were  the  best  that  could  be  obtained  at 
first,  and  it  was  considered  a  great  thing  to  have  the  Bible  taught  to  heathen 
children  even  by  teachers  really  unfit  for  such  a  work.  The  schools  were  fre- 
quently visited  by  the  missionary,  and  the  pupils  were  called  together  at  the 
church  once  every  week  for  religious  instruction,  besides  attending,  with  their 
teachers,  the  services  on  the  Sabbath.  A  large  proportion  of  their  study  was 
Scripture  truth,  either  directly  from  portions  of  the  Bible,  or  Catechisms  im- 
bodying  Scripture  history  and  doctrine.  Moreover,  the  school  was  a  valuable 
means  of  access  to  the  people  of  the  village  where  it  was  located.  It  was  the 
place  for  village  meetings  —  a  place  in  the  village  where  the  missionary  was  on 
his  own  ground,  and  could  go  and  remain  through  the  day,  to  see  those  who 
should  call,  or  for  whom  he  should  send,  and,  if  at  a  distance,  where  he  could 
make  a  resting-place  for  the  night.  The  habits  of  the  people  are  such  that  he 
could  come  more  dii-ectlv  in  contact  with  them  there  than  at  their  own  houses. 


VILLAGE   SCHOOLS  —  EDUCATION   OF   GIRLS. 


VILLAGE    SCHOOLS. 

These  mission  village  schools  are  so  different  from  schools  in  this  country 
that  some  description  of  them  may  be  necessary.  The  building,  or  school 
bungalow,  as  it  is  called,  is  a  mere  roof,  raised  upon  posts,  and  covered  with  the 
fan-like  leaves  of  the  palmyra  palm,  with  a  floor,  raised  a  foot  or  more  above 
the  ground,  made  of  earth  beaten  down  very  hai*d.  Sometimes  it  is  surrounded 
with  a  .ow  mud  wall,  one  or  two  feet  high,  and  at  one  side  there  is  usually  a 
raised  seat  of  the  same  material,  for  the  teacher  and  for  the  missionary  when  he 
visits  the  school.  The  children  sit,  with  legs  crossed,  on  narrow  mats,  spread 
on  the  floor.  All  study  aloud,  and  there  is  consequently  noise,  and  confusion 
in  proportion  to  the  diligence  of  the  pupils.  When  the  missionary  is  seen 
coming,  the  noise  increases.  Every  boy  seems  to  be  trying  to  drown  the  voices 
of  all  the  rest,  that  he  may  be  heard  above  them  all.  This  continues  till  the 
snissionary  enters  the  bungalow,  when  their  books  are  laid  aside,  and  then* 
attention  is  directed  to  him.  Nor  is  it  the  children  alone  that  are  attracted  by 
his  approach.  The  people  in  the  vicinity,  and  the  passers-by,  drop  in  one  by 
one,  and  sit  down.  The  women  steal  around  on  the  outside,  where  they  can 
Bee  and  hear,  and  stiU  be  concealed,  entirely  or  in  part,  by  the  trees  or  a 
hedge.  Thus  quite  an  audience  is  gathered  to  hear  the  religious  instruction 
given. 

The  regular  meetings  in  the  villages  are  usually  held  in  these  bungalows  in 
the  evening,  as  the  people  are  industrious,  and  can  not  be  gathered  so  easily  or 
in  so  large  numbers  in  the  daytime. 

It  was  considered  very  desirable  to  increase  the  number  and  efiiciency  of 
these  schools.  After  a  time  some  of  the  teachers  became  convinced  of  the 
truth  of  what  they  taught  and  were  apparently  subjects  of  divine  grace,  and 
thus  better  fitted  for  their  work.  Many  of  the  schools  were  supported  by 
missionary  associations  or  Sabbath  schools  in  this  country,  and  thus,  undoubt- 
edly, much  earnest  prayer  was  secured  for  particular  schools. 

EDUCATION    OF    GIRLS. 

The  schools  were  at  first  composed  only  of  boys.  "When  the  missionaries 
arrived  in  Jaffna  there  could  hardly  be  found  in  the  whole  district  a  woman 
who  knew  the  native  alphabet.  It  was  thought  quite  improper  for  a  female  to 
learn  to  read.  There  was  to  the  native  mind  no  conceivable  object  for  it,  and 
it  was  supposed  it  would  spoil  her  modesty,  endanger  her  chastity,  and  render 
her  insubordinate  to  the  other  sex.  To  superintend  the  affaks  of  her  house, 
and  to  minister  to  the  wants  of  her  family,  were  thought  to  be  not  only  her 
fii"st,  but  her  sole  duties.  It  was  not  till  after  the  mission  had  been  established 
three  or  four  years,  that  a  few  little  girls,  the  daughters  or  near  relatives  of  the 
teachers,  and  a  few  others  whose  parents  were  very  poor,  could  be  induced, 
by  the  present  of  a  cloth,  or  some  other  Uttle  reward,  to  attend  the  school. 
When  first  brought  in  they  could  hardly  overcome  their  sense  of  shame  so  as 
to  go  on  with  their  studies ;  and  those  who  gave  up  their  daughters  for  in- 
struction were  subjected  to  no  small  degree  of  reproach  and  ridicule  for  this 
2 


10  THE   CEYLON   MISSION. 

departure  from  national  and  immemorial  custom.  Afterward  Mr.  Poor  suc- 
ceeded in  obtaining  three  or  four  girls  to  live  upon  the  premises  at  Tillipally, 
and  receive  instruction.  One  of  them  was  named  Mary  Poor,  after  his  excel- 
lent mother.  After  she  had  learned  to  read  and  write,  the  head-man  of  the 
parish  came  one  day  to  the  house  to  get  her  signature  to  a  deed  transferring 
some  land  belonging  to  the  family.  The  custom  is  for  females  to  make  their 
mark,  or  cross,  on  the  deed,  when  some  other  person  writes  the  name.  When 
the  deed  was  handed  to  Mary,  instead  of  making  her  mark,  she  wrote,  in  a  fair 
hand,  her  name  in  full.  The  head-man  looked  on  amazed.  lie  had  never  seen 
such  a  thing  before.  "  "Well,"  said  he,  "  this  is  good.  Now  I  will  send  my  daugh- 
ter to  school,  to  learn  to  read  and  write."  lie  did  so,  and  others  soon  followed 
his  example. 

RETRENCHMENT  —  SCHOOLS    DISBANDED. 

Thus  from  small  beginnings  the  schools  increased  and  prospered,  till,  in  1837, 
there  were  more  than  five  thousand  boys  and  one  thousand  girls  under  Chris- 
tian instruction  in  connection  with  the  mission.  That  year  brought  a  financial 
crisis  in  this  country,  which  created  a  necessity  for  retrenchment  in  the  missions 
of  the  Board.  There  was  no  alternative  but  to  disband  the  schools ;  and  it 
was  done.  The  views  and  feelings  of  the  missionaries  in  reference  to  the  sad 
necessity  thus  forced  upon  them,  was  thus  represented  by  one  of  their  number : 
"After  my  usual  lessons  with  the  readers  in  the  schools  yesterday,  I  gave 
each  a  portion  of  the  Bible  as  a  present.  I  told  them  the  reason,  exhorted 
them  to  read  it,  not  to  enter  into  temptation,  and  to  keep  the  Sabbath  holy  — 
prayed  with  them,  commending  them  to  the  Friend  of  little  children,  and  sent 
them  away  —  from  me,  from  the  Bible  class,  from  the  Sabbath  school,  from 
the  house  of  prayer  —  to  feed  on  the  mountains  of  heathenism,  with  the  idols 
under  the  green  trees ;  a  prey  to  the  roaring  lion,  to  evil  demons,  and  to  a 
people  more  ignorant  than  they,  even  to  their  blind,  deluded  and  deluding 
guides;  and  when  I  looked  after  them,  as  they  went  out,  my  .heart  failed  me. 
O,  what  an  offering  to  Swamy  !  — Jive  thousand  children ! "  A  portion  of 
these  schools  were  afterward  gathered  again,  though  they  have  never,  at  any 
time  since,  amounted  to  more  than  two  thirds  of  the  previous  number. 

It  is  estimated  that  more  than  thirty  thousand  children  have,  since  the 
commencement  of  the  mission,  received  instruction  in  these  schools.  As  the 
children  leave  them  at  an  early  age,  it  could  hardly  be  expected  that  the  num- 
ber of  those  converted  while  members  of  the  schools  would  be  large.  Still 
there  have  been  some  such  cases ;  and  many  who  have  been  educated  in  the 
seminary  and  boarding  school,  and  others  not  educated,  who  afterward  joined 
the  church,  received  their  first  impressions  while  members  of  these  schools. 
Sometimes  cases  have  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  missionaries  where  these 
children  seemed,  in  a  dying  hour,  to  ti'ust  in  Jesus. 

BOARDING    SCHOOLS. 

Two  or  three  years  after  the  commencement  of  the  mission,  a  few  pupils 
were  gathered  into  boarding  schools  at  the  different  stations,  where  the  com- 
mon branches  of  Tamil  and  English  were  taught,  and  tiie  more  advanced  pupils 


BOARDIiNG   SCHOOLS  —  BATTICOTTA   SEMINARY.  11 

prepared  to  enter  upon  a  higher  course  of  study.  Upon  this  foundation  the 
Batticotta  Seminary  for  boys  was  commenced  in  1823,  and  the  following  year, 
the  Oodooville  Female  Boarding  School  for  the  girls.  There  was  at  first  a 
great  aversion  among  the  people  to  allowing  theii'  childi-en  to  eat  on  the 
premises  of  the  missionaries ;  but  this  was  gradually  overcome.  At  Oodooville, 
two  little  girls,  who  had  been  induced  by  little  presents  to  come  in  as  day 
scholars,  were  prevented  from  going  home  one  night  by  a  very  severe  storm. 
One  of  them  was  induced  to  take  food ;  the  other  would  eat  nothing.  Some 
weeks  afterward,  the  father  of  the  giii  who  had  eaten  on  the  premises  brought 
her  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Winslow,  and  said,  "  You  have  been  like  a  father  and 
mother  to  her,  so  you  may  now  take  her ;  but  tell  me  what  you  will  do  for 
her.  You  must  find  her  a  husband."  They  told  him  that  if  she  continued  a 
good  girl,  they  would  take  care  of  her,  and  he  must  not  come  in  a  few  months 
and  take  her  away.  The  man  had  evidently  been  induced  to  give  up  the  child 
by  her  own  entreaties.  After  this  there  was  less  difficulty  in  inducing  others 
to  come,  or  their  parents  to  give  them  up.  At  Batticotta,  as  the  boys  were  at 
first  unwilling  to  eat  on  the  mission  premises,  a  cook-house  was  built  for  them 
on  an  adjoining  piece  of  land  which  belonged  to  a  heathen,  where  they  were 
permitted  to  take  their  food  for  more  than  a  year.  The  establishment  was 
then  removed  within  the  mission  inclosure,  when  several  boys  left  the  school ; 
but  most  of  them  soon  returned.  Objecting  to  use  the  water  from  wells  that 
had  been  in  common  use  by  the  mission  families,  they  decided  to  clean  out 
a  well  and  reserve  it  for  their  own  use.  As  it  was  during  the  rainy  season, 
when  the  springs  were  full,  they  found  it  a  harder  iask  than  they  expected ; 
and  they  were  glad  to  give  up  the  attempt  after  one  day's  hard  work,  comfort- 
ing themselves  with  the  conclusion  that  they  had  drawn  out  as  much  water  as 
there  was  in  the  well  when  they  began,  and  it  might,  therefore,  be  considered 
fit  for  their  use.  No  further  difficulty  was  experienced  from  this  source,  and 
other  prejudices  of  a  similar  character  were  overcome  by  pursuing  a  straight- 
forward course  for  the  welfare  of  the  school,  without  reference  to  the  super- 
stitious notions  of  the  heathen.  It  has  never  been  the  intention  of  the 
missionaries  to  swerve  from  what  they  deemed  right,  out  of  deference  to  caste 
or  any  other  native  prejudice. 

BATTICOTTA    SEMINARY. 

The  Batticotta  Seminary  was  established  for  the  purpose  of  raising  efficient 
native  laborers,  to  aid  in  the  work  of  evangelizing  their  countrjTnen.  The 
views  of  the  mission  in  regard  to  the  school  may  be  understood  by  the  follow- 
ing extract  from  the  prospectus  issued  at  the  time  of  its  commencement : 
"  It  is  the  moral  influence  which  the  projectors  of  the  present  seminary  wish 
to  keep  primarily  and  most  distinctly  in  view.  Should  it  even  appear  singu- 
lar, they  ai-e  not  ashamed  of  the  singularity  of  attempting  to  found  a  college 
not  so  much  literary  as  religious ;  and  indeed  literary  no  further  than  learning 
can  be  made  auxiliai-y  to  religion.  In  a  word,  their  design  is  to  teach  the 
knowledge  of  God,  developing  all  the  important  relations  of  the  creature  to  the 
Creator,  for  time  and  eternity."  In  the  second  Annual  Report,  after  mention- 
ing the  special  blessings  received  in  connection  with  the  efiusion  of  the  Holy 


12  THE   CEYLON   MISSION. 

Spirit  at  two  different  times  during  the  year,  and  that  thereby  almost  every 
individual  had  been  "  aroused  to  a  solemn  consideration  of  those  subjects 
•which  relate  to  his  present  state  and  future  destinies,"  they  said,  "  We  have 
often  i)rayed,  and  invited  our  friends  and  patrons  to  unite  with  us  in  praying, 
that  God  would  bless  this  infant  Seminary,  that  it  may  be  made  a  blessing. 
We  have  labored  for  the  conversion  of  those  instructed  in  it,  that  they  may 
become  instrumental  in  converting  others.  Our  hearts  are  affected  by  the 
evidence  before  us  that  the  Lord  has  listened  to  the  voice  of  our  united  suppli- 
cations, and  crowned  our  feeble  efforts  with  a  larger  measure  o£  success  than 
we  had  dared  confidently  to  expect.  By  these  precious  tokens  of  divine  favor 
we  have  already  received  a  hundi'ed  fold  rewai-d,  and  are  greatly  encouraged  to 
persevere  in  our  labors." 

It  was  to  be  expected  that  a  school  established  from  such  motives,  and  under 
such  influences,  would  be  the  means  of  great  good.  The  blessing  of  God 
seemed  to  rest  upon  it,  and  its  influence  was  not  only  seen  in  the  character  of 
the  young  men  thus  prepared  to  labor  for  the  salvation  of  their  benighted 
countrymen,  but  in  its  infiuence  on  the  whole  heathen  community ;  in  waking 
up  the  native  mind,  in  shaking  the  confidence  of  the  community  in  their  false 
svstems  of  science,  philosophy,  and  religion,  and  in  commanding  at  least  a 
respect  for  the  Bible  and  its  doctrines,  the  morality  it  inculcates,  and  its  power 
to  elevate  the  human  mind  and  character.  The  whole  number  of  students  now 
living  who  have  been  educated  in  the  Seminary  is  upwards  of  five  hundred. 
About  thi-ee  hundred  and  fifty  of  those  who  have  been  connected  with  it  have 
become  members  of  the  church.  About  one  hundred  of  these  are  now  engaged 
(1861)  directly  in  mission  service,  in  Ceylon  and  other  parts  of  India,  as 
native  pastors,  catechists,  teachers,  and  translators,  exerting  a  great  infiuence 
in  hastening  the  day  of  India's  salvation.  A  large  number  are  in  government 
and  other  employment,  where  they  are  exposed  to  great  temptations,  but  some 
of  them  let  their  light  shine  in  the  midst  of  deep  darkness.  They  have  gone  as 
far  as  Burmah  and  the  Mauritius.  One,  writing  from  Pegu  to  the  missionary, 
stated  that  he  was  cut  off  from  all  religious  privileges,  and  that  his  Bible  and 
his  closet  were  his  only  comfort.  Another,  who  died  there,  was  near  the 
American  Baptist  missionai-ies,  who  testified  to  his  remaining  faithful  to  the 
end  ;  but  others  have  joined  with  the  heathen,  and  done  much  injury. 

The  Seminary  was  suspended  by  the  mission  in  1855,  to  prepare  the  way  for 
a  modification  of  its  regulations  and  course  of  instruction,  so  as  to  secure  more 
directly  the  object  for  which  it  was  instituted.  There  is  now  (1861)  in  its 
place  a  school  called  the  "  Theological  and  Training  Institution,"  containing 
about  twenty  pupils,  selected  from  the  most  promising  candidates  for  native 
pastors,  catechists,  and  teachers.  Their  education  is  in  the  vernacular,  and  free 
of  chaa'ge.  It  is  more  exclusively  biblical  than  before.  Recently  there  has 
been  a  precious  revival  in  the  institution,  nearly  every  member  having  shared 
in  the  blessing. 

The  demand  for  an  English  education  among  the  people  gave  rise,  after  the 
suspension  of  the  Seminary,  to  the  establishment  of  a  number  of  English 
schools,  supported  by  the  people,  and  taught  by  natives  who  had  been  educated 
in  the  Seminary.  The  most  prominent  among  these  is  called  the  "  Batticotta 
High  School."     It  has  a  Board  of  five  Trustees,  two  chosen  from  among  the 


OODOOVILLE  FEMALE  BOARDING  SCHOOL.  13 

American  missionaries,  two  native  Christians,  and  the  principal.  There  are 
from  one  hundred  and  thirty  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  pupils,  and  six  teachers, 
all  natives.  The  principal  was  formerly  a  teacher  in  the  Batticotta  Seminary, 
and  seems  to  labor  earnestly  for  the  salvation  of  the  pupils.  The  school  is 
supported  by  natives,  with  some  assistance  received  from  the  Ceylon  govern- 
ment. The  majority  of  the  pupils  are  the  children  of  heathen  parents ;  yet  it  is 
a  Christian  school,  under  very  decided  Christian  influence.  This  influence, 
too,  seems  more  natural  and  healthful,  as  there  is  no  pecuniary  relation  to  the 
mission.  In  the  first  Biennial  lleport  of  the  principal  is  the  following  state- 
ment :  "  It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  the  more  a  student  shapes  his  mind  for 
the  reception  of  Bible  truths,  the  more  he  makes  progress  in  all  branches  of 
study."  This  was  lately  pronounced,  by  the  government  inspector  of  schools 
in  Ceylon,  to  be  the  best  school  in  the  whole  island,  though  English  mission- 
aries and  the  government  have  several  flouiishing  institutions. 

OODOOVILLE  FEMALE  BOARDING  SCHOOL. 

The  OodooviUe  Female  Boarding  School  was  designed  to  impart  a  careful 
Christain  education  to  a  select  number  of  female  pupils,  under  circumstances 
that  would  seclude  them  from  heathen  influences,  and  be  most  promising  for 
their  moral  and  intellectual  improvement.  It  was  hoped  that  by  this  means 
there  would  be  provided  more  suitable  companions  for  the  young  men  educated 
in  the  mission  Seminary.  Before  this  school  was  commenced,  female  education 
had  been  carried  on,  to  some  extent,  by  the  reception  of  a  few  girls  under  the 
care  of  the  missionary  ladies  at  the  difi"erent  stations  ;  but  the  superior  advan- 
tages of  a  central  institution  for  female  pupils  being  apparent,  it  was  decided 
to  open  one  at  OodooviUe,  and  to  receive  into  it  as  many  of  the  pupils  then 
under  instruction  as  were  willing  to  go.  Twenty-nine  were  thus  received  at 
the  outset,  in  1824.  In  1833  the  number  had  increased  to  fifty;  in  1836  to 
seventy-five  ;  and  in  1837  to  one  hundred.  This  is  the  largest  number  at  one 
time,  and  since  1855,  when  the  Batticotta  Seminary  was  suspended,  it  has 
been  deemed  expedient  to  limit  the  number  of  pupils  to  forty.  Nearly  three 
hundred  have  been  educated  in  the  school  from  its  commencement,  of  whom 
about  four  fifths  became  members  of  the  church,  and  few  have  dishonored 
their  profession.*  On  the  other  hand,  many  a  church  member,  weak  in  the 
faith,  and  ready  to  go  back  to  heathenism,  has  been  reproved  and  sustained  by 
the  wife  whom  he  married  from  the  OodooviUe  school. 

The  influence  of  this  institution  has  been  most  excellent  and  far-reaching. 
The  many  Christian  families  scattered  over  the  province,  the  island,  and  the 
continent,  exerting  a  silent  but  important  influence,  testify  to  its  usefulness. 
Many  tokens  of  God's  special  blessing  have  been  granted,  in  the  frequent 
revivals  which  have  been  enjoyed,  and  in  the  uniform  prosperity  that  has 
attended  the  institution.     There  are  no  results  which  at  the  present  moment 

*  A  table,  recently  funiished  (1865)  by  Mr.  Spaulding:,  shows  that  from  1824  to  18&1  there 
were  received  to  the  school,  from  the  several  mission  stations,  three  hundred  and  ninety- 
four  pupils.  Of  these,  two  hundred  and  eighty-one  have  been  members  of  the  church,  flfty- 
three  have  died  in  good  standing,  and  four  under  censure  ;  twenty-two  were  excommuni- 
cated, and  there  are  now  in  good  standing  in  the  church,  two  hundred  and  two. 


14  THE   CEYLON   MISSION. 

are  telling  with  more  power  upon  the  evangelization  of  the  land  than  those 
connected,  with  the  Oodooville  school. 


THE   PRESS. 

For  the  few  first  years  of  the  mission,  tracts  were  written  upon  the  leaves  of 
the  palmyra,  but  in  1821,  in  accordance  with  the  request  of  the  mission  for  a 
printer,  Mr.  J.  Garrett  arrived  with  a  press.  The  government  of  the  island 
being  at  that  time  hostile  to  the  operations  of  the  mission,  he  was  peremptorily 
ordered  to  leave  within  six  weeks,  and  the  request  that  he  might  be  allowed  to 
remain  longer  in  a  private  capacity,  on  account  of  the  difficulty  of  leaving 
during  the  monsoon,  was  denied.  He  accordingly  went  over  to  the  continent, 
and  the  press  was  taken  by  the  English  Church  mission.  It  was  thus  made 
available  for  printing  the  necessary  tracts  and  books  for  common  use,  until 
1834,  when,  the  restrictions  of  government  having  been  removed,  the  press  was 
transferred  to  the  American  mission,  and  set  up  at  Manepy.  It  was  an  occa- 
sion of  great  interest  when  the  first  product  of  their  own  press  was  sent  around 
the  mission  circle,  in  the"  form  of  a  small  handbill,  with  the  words  "  First 
Fruits"  in  English,  and  the  words  signifying  "Brotherly  Love"  in  Tamil. 
Printing  was  commenced  on  a  very  limited  scale ;  but  the  importance  of  this 
auxiliary  so  rose  in  the  estimation  of  the  mission,  especially  in  connection  with 
the  occupation  of  the  Madura  field,  that  the  establishment  was  greatly  enlarged. 
This  continued  till  1855,  when  the  press  and  type  were  sold  to  two  native 
Christians,  Avho  carry  on  printing  in  English  and  Tamil.  During  the  twenty 
years  in  which  the  press  was  under  the  control  of  the  mission,  there  were 
printed  an  average  of  more  than  eight  millions  of  pages  a  year,  a  large  propor- 
tion of  which  were  religious  tracts  and  portions  of  Scripture.  Nearly  one 
third  of  the  whole  were  pages  of  the  Word  of  God.  In  1841  a  periodical  was 
commenced,  printed  semi-monthly,  in  English  and  Tamil,  which  is  believed  to 
be  the  means  of  much  good.  It  is  called  "  The  Morning  Star."  Since  1855 
it  has  been  printed  entirely  in  Tamil.  It  is  taken  by  heathen  subscribers  as 
well  as  by  native  Christians.  Some  years  since  a  child's  paper  was  com- 
menced, called  "  The  Children's  Friend." 


REVIVALS. 

In  all  their  labors  for  the  salvation  of  the  people,  the  missionaries  have  ever 
felt  that  their  only  dependence  for  success  was  upon  the  influences  of  God's 
Spirit.  Two  or  three  years  after  the  commencement  of  the  mission,  the  ear- 
nestness of  their  desires  for  the  outpouring  of  the  Spirit  became  intense;  and 
they  seem  to  have  felt  a  remarkable  assurance  that  their  prayers  would  be 
answered.  There  was  also  much  united  prayer  among  them.  The  first  Mon- 
day of  the  month  was  spent  together,  by  all  the  missionaries  of  the  district, 


REVIVALS.  15 

(English  Church,  Wesleyan,  and  American  missionaries),  in  prayer  and  con- 
ference. These  prayers  were  answered  in  the  conversion  of  individuals,  and 
at  the  commencement  of  1824  there  was  a  general  revival  at  all  the  stations. 
Tills  was  preceded  by  a  day  set  apart  by  the  missionaries  of  the  district  as  a 
season  of  humiliation,  fasting  and  prayer.  During  the  month  of  January, 
interest  began  to  be  manifest  at  several  of  the  stations.  At  Tillipally,  the  boys 
in  the  school  began  to  inquire  what  they  should  do  to  be  saved.  In  their 
meetings,  every  countenance  seemed  to  say,  "  God  is  here."  At  Oodoovillc, 
"  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  seemed  to  rest  on  the  Sabbath  assembly,  and  many 
were  in  tears."  At  the  monthly  prayer  meeting  in  February,  it  is  related  by 
one,  "  The  Holy  Spiiit  came  down  with  power,  such  as  probably  none  of  us 
ever  felt  or  witnessed  before,  and  filled  all  the  house  where  we  were  sitting. 
The  brother  who  first  led  in  prayer  in  the  afternoon,  was  so  much  overcome  as 
to  be  unable  to  proceed.  For  some  time  he  had  scarcely  strength  to  rise  fi-om 
liis  knees.  The  afternoon  was  spent  in  prayer,  interrupted  only  by  singing, 
and  occasionally  reading  or  repeating  a  verse  from  the  Bible.  It  was  not 
common  prayer,  but  wrestling  with  the  angel  of  the  covenant,  with  strong  cry- 
ing and  tears."  A  week  or  two  afterward  the  awakening  extended  to  Pandi- 
teripo,  and  almost  every  individual  connected  with  the  school  there  seemed  to 
be  "  roused  at  once,  and  forced  to  pray,  and  even  cry  for  mercy."  "V\Tien  the 
missionary.  Dr.  Scudder,  returned  from  a  prayer  meeting  at  Batticotta,  late  in 
the  evening,  he  heard,  on  entering  the  yard,  the  boys  who  were  scattered  in 
the  garden  under  the  cocoa-nut  trees,  some  alone,  and  others  in  little  compa- 
nies, crying,  "  Come,  Holy  Spirit,"  and  "  God,  have  mercy."  He  immediately 
rang  the  bell,  and  they  came  in  with  streaming  eyes,  confessing  their  guilt  and 
danger.  Thus  the  work  went  on,  extending  to  all  the  stations,  and  every- 
where attended  with  remarkable  power,  continuing  for  nearly  six  months.  As 
the  fruit  of  this  revival,  between  sixty  and  seventy  gave  evidence  of  a  change 
of  heart ;  and  eai'ly  in  November  of  the  same  year,  the  Lord  granted  another 
refreshing  season. 

In  January  of  the  next  year  (1825),  the  fruits  of  the  first  revival  were  gath- 
ered into  the  church.  As  it  was  to  be  a  special  occasion,  arrangements  were 
made  to  receive  them  all  together,  from  the  different  stations.  A  temporary 
building  was  erected  for  the  meeting,  in  a  village  central  and  easy  of  access  to 
all.  The  bungalow  was  one  hundred  feet  long  and  seventy  wide,  the  top  and 
sides  covered  with  the  braided  leaves  of  the  cocoa-nut,  and  lined  with  white 
cotton  cloth,  to  give  it  a  light  and  pleasant  aspect.  It  was  erected  in  a  grove 
of  palm  trees,  in  a  heathen  village  which  had  never  before  echoed  to  the  songs 
of  Christian  worship.  Although  cholera  was  raging  at  the  time,  there  were 
twelve  or  fifteen  hundred  present.  It  was  an  occasion  of  great  interest  to  see 
forty-one  candidates  come  forward,  and  profess  before  the  heathen  the  name 
of  Jesus.  Old  and  young,  the  gray-haired  man  of  seventy,  and  the  little  girl 
of  twelve,  stood  up  together,  and,  renouncing  idolatry,  consecrated  themselves 
to  the  love  and  service  of  the  one  only  living  and  true  God.  These  revivals 
■were  types  of  others,,  enjoyed  at  varied  intervals,  some  of  them  of  remarkable 
power. 


16  THE  CEYLON   MISSION. 

NATIVE  CUURCH. 

There  are  now  (1865)  four  hundred  and  seventy-seven  members  of  the  native 
churches.  It  is  an  interesting  sight  to  see  these  Christians,  at  the  occasional 
gatherings  which  are  held  for  religious  meetings,  coming  from  everj-  part  of 
the  field,  —  Christian  parents  with  their  baptised  children ;  Christian  young  men 
and  women  from  the  schools  ;  Christian  teachers  with  their  pupils ;  catechists, 
intelligent,  earnest  laborers  in  the  cause  of  Christ ;  native  pastors  with  theii 
flocks,  —  sitting  down  together  with  the  missionaries,  and  celebrating  the  death 
of  their  common  Saviour.  It  is  a  scene  worth  crossing  the  ocean  to  witness, 
and  must  be  especially  cheering  to  those  who  commenced  laboring  there  when 
all  was  darkness  and  the  very  shadow  of  death.  There  is  an  amount  of  intel- 
ligence among  the  native  Christians  unusual  in  the  earlier  stages  of  a  mission. 
A  large  proportion  of  them  have  received  a  thorough  education  in  the  Semi- 
nary and  boarding  school,  and  are,  in  this  respect,  remarkably  fitted  for  training 
their  children,  and  laying  deep  the  foundations  for  the  Christianity  which  is  to 
prevail  in  the  land.  In  some  instances,  there  are  already  so  many  of  a  circle  of 
relatives  connected  with  the  church,  as  to  turn  the  current  which  has  before 
swept  toward  the  dark  gulf  of  heathenism,  and  the  influence  of  the  family  is 
on  the  side  of  Christ ;  and  a  large  proportion  of  the  family  circles  in  the  com- 
munity have  been  broken  in  upon  by  at  least  one  of  their  number  having 
become  a  Christian.  These  Christian  families  are  scattered  here  and  there 
in  the  villages,  —  lights  amid  the  darkness,  witnesses  for  the  true  God  among 
the  worshipers  of  devils,  —  their  dwellings  oases  in  the  desert  of  heathenism, 
where  the  blessing  of  God  descends,  where  God  himself  abides.  Wherever 
God's  people  are,  there  he  is,  fulfilling  his  promises  and  building  up  his  king- 
dom ;  and  this  fact  is  a  pledge  that  it  shall  be  established  in  Ceylon. 

Many  of  those  who  have  been  called  away  by  death  have  remained  faithful 
to  the  end,  and  have  died  in  hope  of  a  glorious  immortality.  In  some  cases, 
great  joy  and  triumph  over  death  have  been  manifested,  such  as  to  awaken 
wonder  and  admiration  even  among  the  heathen  around.  It  is  an  interesting 
fact,  that  many  Christians,  whose  unsteady  walk  had  given  their  pastors  great 
solicitude,  have  in  the  hour  of  death  manifested  a  steadfast  attachment  to  the 
Christian  faith,  and  an  apparent  reliance  on  Christ,  which  have  encouraged  the 
hope  that  many  of  these  little  ones,  even  the  weak  and  wayward,  will  be  found 
at  last  gathered  into  the  kingdom  of  God. 

CHURCHES  WITH  NATIVE  PASTORS. 

Though  there  were  able  and  faithful  men  connected  with  the  mission,  who 
held  the  office  of  native  preachers  and  of  catechists,  yet  the  way  did  not  seem 
open  for  ordaining  any  one  as  pastor  of  a  native  church  tiU  1855.  In  May  of 
that  year,  the  members  of  the  Batticotta  church  living  on  the  island  of  Cara- 
dive  were  organized  into  a  separate  church,  and  Mr.  Cornelius,  who  had 
labored  there  faithfully  and  successfully  as  a  catechist,  was  ordained  as  their 
pastor.  The  occasion  was  one  of  great  interest.  Caradive  is  an  island  con- 
taining nearly  six  thousand  inhabitants.  When  Mr.  Cornelius  fiirst  went  there 
to  labor,  there  was  not  a  Cluistian  in  the  island,  excepting  one  man,  who  had 


NATIVE   MISSIONARY   EFFORT.  17 

been  educated  in  the  Seminary,  was  a  suspended  member  of  the  church,  and 
has  since  been  excommunicated.  Now  the  missionaries  were  gathered  there  to 
organize  a  church  and  ordain  the  first  native  pastor.  Interest  was  added  to 
the  occasion  by  the  presence  of  Dr.  Anderson,  the  senior  secretarj'  of  the 
American  Board,  and  Dr.  Thompson,  who  accompanied  him  as  a  member  of  the 
deputation  to  India.  They  both  took  part  in  the  exercises  of  the  occasion,  as 
did  also  Mr.  Meigs,  one  of  the  first  company  of  missionaries,  and  Mr.  Spaul- 
ding,  who  joined  the  mission  in  1821.  Mr.  Cornelius  received  his  education 
and  training  on  the  continent  of  India,  principally  in  connection  with  EngUsh 
missionaries.  His  wife  is  one  of  the  pupils  of  the  Oodooville  schooL  The  Lord 
has  blessed  their  labors  there,  and  it  is  hoped  they  may  long  be  a  blessing  to 
the  flock  under  their  charge,  and  to  the  whole  island. 

Three  others  have  since  been  ordained  —  Thomas  P.  Hunt  at  Chavagacheriy, 
David  Stickney  at  Valany,  and  Francis  Asbury  at  Navaly.  Valany  is  the 
station  of  the  Native  Evangelical  Society  —  an  organization  of  native  Chris- 
tians for  the  purpose  of  extending  the  blessings  of  the  gospel  to  their  country- 
men. Mr.  Slicknej'  is  their  missionary  ;  and  it  is  an  interesting  fact  that  he  is 
the  son  of  Mary  Poor,  one  of  the  first  among  the  females  who  had  the  courage 
to  break  over  the  bonds  of  custom,  and  learn  to  read  and  write.  She  still  lives, 
to  see  her  son  a  native  pastor,  and  a  missionary  sent  out  and  supported  by 
her  own  people. 

More  recently  another  church  has  been  organized  at  Navaly,  a  village  in 
Manepy ;  and  there  are  other  places  where  the  way  seems  to  be  preparing 
for  the  formation  of  churches  over  whom  native  pastors  may  be  ordained,  and 
there  are  promising  candidates  for  the  office. 

>fATIVE  MISSIONARY  EFFORT. 

"  Let  him  that  heareth  say,  Come."  It  is  the  first  impulse  of  the  soul  which 
has  tasted  of  the  water  of  life  to  turn  to  those  who  are  still  perishing  with 
thirst,  and  say,  "  Come."  It  was  gratifying  to  the  missionaries  to  see  the  germ 
of  this  instinct  of  the  new-born  soul  early  developing  itself  in  Ceylon,  not  only 
in  anxiety  for  near  and  dear  friends,  but  for  all  the  heathen  around.  Espe- 
cially, when  laid  aside  from  labor  by  sickness,  was  it  gratifying  to  see  the 
natives  taking  up  the  missionary  work.  Mr.  Woodward,  writing  from  Calcutta 
in  December,  1821,  where  he  had  gone  for  health  and  medical  advice,  says, 
"  When  my  thoughts  recur  to  Ceylon,  I  long  to  be  there  to  witness  the  salva- 
tion of  God,  with  which  I  believe  the  people  are  visited.  My  heart  has  been 
greatly  rejoiced  to  learn,  by  a  letter  from  Mrs.  Woodward,  that  two  girls  in  our 
school  at  Tillipally,  who  for  some  time  have  given  evidence  of  piety,  are  actively 
engaged  in  the  blessed  work,  going  from  house  to  house,  with  the  good  news 
in  their  hands,  reading  to  and  instructing  the  poor  degraded  females,  and  tes- 
tifying repentance  toward  God,  and  faith  toward  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 
A  few  months  later  the  mission  mentions,  as  an  interesting  fact,  "  The  females 
who  have  joined  our  church  seem  to  take  a  lively  interest  in  the  cause,  often 
seek  opportunities,  by  going  to  different  houses,  of  communicating  truth  to 
their  own  sex,  and  are  sometimes  successful  in  persuading  a  few  to  break  away 
from  their  former  customs,  to  go  to  the  house  of  worship,  and  to  listen  to  a 
3 


18  THE   CEYLON   MISSION. 

preached  gospel."  Such  efforts  were  not  confined  to  the  females  ;  but  in  Buch 
a  country  as  that,  where  women  are  accustomed  so  to  seclude  themselves  from 
publicity,  and  where  they  are  so  inaccessible,  it  was  peculiarly  encouraging 
to  see  Christian  females,  constrained  by  the  love  of  Christ,  so  break  over  the 
bonds  of  custom  as  to  engage  in  active  efforts  for  the  salvation  of  others. 
Such  voluntary  efforts  have  been  continued  to  the  present  time,  as  well  by  the 
youth  in  the  schools  as  by  others,  and  at  times  with  precious  results. 

In  1832,  a  society  of  native  Christians,  called  the  Evangelical  Society,  was 
formed,  for  making  known  the  gospel  by  the  support  of  catechists  and  teach- 
ers, and  the  distribution  of  tracts.  This  society  is  still  in  active  operation,  and 
IS  to  the  Chi-istians  of  Jaffna  what  the  American  Board  is  to  Christians  in  New 
England.  At  first  they  contributed  to  the  support  of  one  or  more  catechists, 
under  the  direction  of  the  mission ;  but  subsequently  they  undertook  the  entire 
direction  of  their  own  agents.  The  island  of  Valany,  which  contains  about 
three  thousand  inhabitants,  was  selected  as  their  field  of  labor,  and  they  were 
allowed  to  choose  their  missionary  from  any  among  the  men  in  the  employ  of 
the  mission  who  would  be  willing  to  be  candidates.  At  that  time  there  was 
not  a  native  Christian  in  that  island  ;  but  the  blessing  of  the  Lord  seemed  to 
rest  upon  their  labors,  and  now  there  is  a  native  church  organized,  over  whom 
their  present  missionary,  David  Stickney,  is  ordained  as  pastor.  Much  inter- 
est is  manifested  by  the  members  of  the  native  churches  in  sustaining  this 
society,  and  often  much  self-denial  is  exercised  by  those  who  contribute  for  its 
support.  Some  give  to  the  amount  of  one  twentieth,  one  twelfth,  and  one 
tenth  of  their  income,  and  some  even  more.  There,  as  elsewhere,  the  poor 
often  deny  themselves  most  to  give  to  the  Lord.  AVhen  a  poor  girl 
brings  a  quart  or  more  of  rice,  which  she  has  picked  up  kernel  by  kernel  in 
the  fields,  after  harvest,  it  seems  a  precious  gift,  and  must  indeed  be  precious 
to  Him  who  sits  over  against  the  treasury.  The  pupils  of  the  boarding  school 
are  accustomed  to  give  the  value  of  one  meal  of  food  a  week,  which  they  vol- 
untarily go  without,  besides  contributing  the  avails  of  their  earnings  by  sewing, 
crochet-Avork,  &c.  The  contributions  to  the  society  now  amount  to  about  five 
hundred  dollars  a  year,  or  an  average  of  one  dollar  and  twenty-five  cents  to 
each  church  member.  The  Christians  also  contribute  to  other  occasional  and 
permanent  objects  of  Christian  charity.  During  the  year  1860  they  contrib- 
uted about  five  hundred  dollars  as  a  jubilee  bfl'cring  to  the  American  Board. 
The  members  of  the  churches  which  have  native  pastors  do  what  they  can 
toward  their  support. 

The  missionary  spirit  has  also  been  developed  by  the  call  for  candidates  to 
go  abroad,  and  labor  on  the  islands  or  on  the  peninsula.  The  self-denial  neces- 
sary for  this,  especially  on  the  part  of  a  native  female,  is  not  readily  under- 
stood in  this  country.  The  difficulties  in  connection  with  their  doinestic 
system  are  real  and  great.  They  marry  very  young,  generally  among  their 
own  relatives,  and  the  wife,  still  a  mere  child,  remains  in  the  house  of  her 
mother,  or  her  husband's  mother,  in  a  dwelling  erected  within  the  yard,  or  in 
the  adjoining  inclosure.  If  she  is  sick,  her  mother,  sisters,  and  cousins  are  at 
hand  to  sympathize  with  her,  to  wait  upon  her,  and  cook  for  her  family. 
From  others  than  relatives  she  would  expect  neither  sympathy  nor  aid,  for  in 
the  language  of  a  heathen,  who  remarked  on  the  care  a  missionary  and  his 


INFLUENCE  UPON   THE   HEATHEN.  19 

mfe  had  bestowed  on  a  sick  native,  "  The  people  -would  as  soon  tread  upon  a 
sick  man,  who  was  not  a  relative,  as  assist  him."  This  and  other  circum- 
stances combine  to  create  a  very  strong  feeling  in  the  mind  of  everj'  native 
against  removing  from  his  or  her  own  little  village.  If  they  make  the  experi- 
ment, they  seem  almost  never  to  think  another  village  tolerable.  Each  one 
finds  in  every  other  place  worse  water  a  hotter  sun,  and  fever  more  prevalent 
than  in  his  own.  So  that  when  men,  and  more  especially  when  women,  are 
ready  to  go  abroad  to  labor  for  Christ,  even  upon  a  neighboring  island,  it  is 
often  as  much  as  for  a  female  in  this  country  to  go  to  foreign  lands.  The  female 
who  leaves  America  has  a  long  voyage  before  her  ;  yet  other  women  have 
traveled  for  other  purposes  ;  but  to  the  female  in  India,  and  to  all  her  friends, 
the  thought  is  a  new  one,  except  when  women  have  gone,  whole  villages  in 
company,  to  worship  at  a  distant  temple.  The  American  female  must  leave 
her  home  and  live  among  strangers ;  but  she  knows  how  to  take  care  of  herself, 
and  the  step  is  a  common  one  among  her  friends.  But  the  Hindoo  female,  in 
her  own  feelings  and  those  of  her  friends,  and  to  a  degree  in  fact,  is  an  infant, 
straying  out  on  the  wide  waste  without  path,  or  precedent,  or  aid.  The  former 
is  urged  on  by  the  plaudits  of  admiring  friends,  and  often  of  strangers ;  but  the 
very  mother  of  the  latter  will  sometimes  even  threaten  sincerely  to  destroy 
herself,  and  the  relatives,  to  work  on  the  holiest,  strongest  of  a  daughter's 
natural  feelings,  and  to  express  their  spite  in  the  most  effectual  manner, 
actually  withhold  needed  aid  from  that  mother  in  distress.  Yet  there  have 
been  those  who,  in  the  face  of  all  this  opposition,  have  consented  to  go  abroad 
to  labor  for  Christ ;  and  though  their  trials  are  unknown,  and  often  unappre- 
ciated when  known,  they  will  be  accepted  by  the  Lord  of  the  harvest.  The 
idea  of  going  abroad  to  labor  is  becoming  more  familiar  to  the  native  Chris- 
tians, and  there  is  encouragement  to  hope  that  more  and  more  of  a  missionary 
spirit  will  be  developed,  and  more  of  those  who  have  been  educated  will  be 
missionaries  to  their  countrymen  in  various  parts  of  the  island,  and  on  the 
continent. 

INFLUENCE    UPON    THE    HEATHEN. 

There  has  as  yet  been  no  general  turning  to  the  Lord  among  the  heathen 
in  Jaffna.  There  is  no  movement  even  toward  a  nominal  profession  of  Chris- 
tianity, as  in  Southern  India.  This  may  arise,  in  part,  from  their  different 
circumstances,  making  the  people  of  Ceylon  more  independent,  and  less  in 
need  of  protection  and  assistance  from  foreigners.  Any  one  going  to  Jaffna 
from  the  continent  of  India,  must  be  struck  -with  the  comparatively  indepen- 
dent bearing  of  the  natives  there.  This  is  probably  owing  much  to  the  more 
efficient  protection  which  government  has  afforded  them,  and  to  their  position 
in  society  as  a  sort  of  middle  class,  there  being  fewer  of  the  very  high  and  of  the 
low  castes.  Other  circumstances,  as  the  more  equal  distribution  of  property, 
and  the  abolition  of  slavery,  have  probably  contributed  to  the  same  result. 
WhUe  such  characteristics  seem  in  some  respects  unfavorable,  yet,  when  sanc- 
tified, the  people  will  have  more  Christian  enterprise  and  energy  of  character, 
and  be  better  fitted  for  active  service  in  the  work  of  the  Lord. 

But,  although  comparatively  very  few  from  among  the  uneducated  heathen 
have  been  converted,  the  result  of  missionary  labor  is  very  appsirent  in  the 


20  THE  CEYLON   MISSION. 

community.  There  is  now  an  extensive  admission,  on  the  part  of  the  heathen, 
that  Chi-istianity  is  true,  and  a  good  relii^ion,  and  that  it  will  eventuaUy  prevail 
in  the  land.  It  is  not  uncommon  for  such  old  men  as  are  favorably  disposed, 
to  say,  "  Do  not  urge  me  to  change ;  I  am  too  old  ;  I  must  go  in  the  way  of 
my  fathers.  But  here  are  my  children ;  if  they  wish,  let  them  become  Chris- 
tians." And  some  say,  "  Yes,  Chi'istianity  will  prevail  in  our  children's  days." 
There  is  also  a  frequent  admission  that  their  OAvn  religion  is  false,  though  not 
so  common  as  the  admission  of  the  truth  of  Christianity.  They  still  cling  to 
the  idea  that  their  religion  will  do  for  them,  if  they  walk  according  to  it  iaith- 
fuUy.  There  is,  again,  some  advance  in  moral  sentiment,  especially  among 
those  more  immediately  about  the  mission  stations.  Moral  character  is  more 
highly  esteemed.  Natives  will  still  lie  and  steal,  when  they  are  tempted  to  do 
BO ;  but  they  are  more  wary  about  it,  and  feel  more  shame  when  detected. 
Heathen  parents  seem  to  value  the  care  taken  by  the  mission  to  protect  the 
morals  of  pupils  in  the  boarding  schools,  and  approve  of  the  discipline  main- 
tained there. 

The  increased  desire  for  education,  especially  for  female  education,  is  also 
a  result  of  missionary  labor.  Whereas,  at  first,  females  could  hardly  be  per- 
suaded to  attend  school,  and  none  came  but  the  children  of  poor  parents,  there 
is  now  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  any  desirable  number  of  candidates  for  admis- 
sion to  the  Oodooville  school,  and  they  often  come  from  the  higher  classes. 
There  are,  even  now,  many  families  of  high  standing  who  consider  it  disrepu- 
table for  their  girls  to  attend  school ;  but  the  number  of  this  class  is  smaller 
every  year.  The  great  eagerness  for  an  English  education  for  boys,  indicates 
a  surprising  change  in  the  state  of  the  community.  This  desire  for  English, 
on  account  of  the  worldly  advantage  it  gives,  is  undoubtedly  excessive ;  it  will 
prove,  in  some  respects,  an  injury  to  the  people ;  and  it  seems  to  be  a  hin- 
drance to  other  forms  of  missionary  labor.  It  can  not  now  be  controlled,  but 
must  in  time,  like  other  evils,  work  its  own  cure. 

Another  feature  in  the  community  is  an  increasing  disregard  of  Brahmins 
and  gooroos  (or  religious  teachers),  who  once  received  almost  divine  honors, 
but  now  are  treated  much  like  other  men.  The  very  form  which  opposition  now 
takes  seems  to  indicate  the  progress  of  the  influence  of  truth.  The  opposers 
of  Christianity  no  longer  look  upon  it  with  haughty  contempt,  as  unworthy 
even  of  notice  ;  but  their  learning  and  talent  are  brought  into  requisition  to  meet 
it  by  argument.  One  of  the  most  noticeable  efforts  in  this  direction  is  the 
publication  of  a  book  of  considerable  size,  which  attempts  to  support  the 
religion  of  the  country  by  an  elaborate  argument,  going  to  prove  that  it  is  iden- 
tical with  the  Mosaic  ritual,  as  recorded  in  the  Bible ;  and  as  that  was  repeat- 
edly declared  to  be  given  to  be  a  "  statute  forever,"  "  to  all  generations," 
and  even  Christ  and  the  apostles  conformed  to  it,  therefore  the  Hindoos  are 
right,  and  Christians  are  apostates  from  the  true  religion. 

The  state  of  pul)lic  feeling  is  also  shown  by  the  fact  that  when  a  heathen 
school  was  established,  a  few  years  since,  in  opposition  to  mission  schools, 
because  in  the  latter  distinctions  of  caste  were  not  tolerated,  there  was  influ- 
ence enough  among  some  of  the  supporters  and  teachers  of  the  school,  to 
render  it  necessary  that  the  Bible  should  be  introduced  to  make  the  school 
successful. 


TRIALS   AND   DANGERS   OF  NATIVE   CHRISTIANS.  21 

But  the  most  important  result  of  missionaiT  labor  among  the  heathen,  and 
the  one  which  affords  the  most  reason  for  encouragement,  is  the  general 
diffusion  of  the  truths  of  the  gospel.  Those  who  are  now  men  and  women, 
forty  and  fifty  years  of  age,  were  once  pupils  in  mission  schools,  read  and 
studied  the  Bible  and  Scripture  Catechisms,  which  ai'c  not  entirely  forgotten. 
The  Word  of  God —  "  the  sword  of  the  Spirit"  —  is  in  their  minds,  ready  for 
the  Spirit's  work.  The  way  is  prepared,  as  it  rarely  is  among  a  heathen 
people,  for  the  establishment  of  Christ's  kingdom.  The  Lord  hasten  it  in  his 
time. 

TRIALS  AND  DANGERS  OF  NATIVE  CHRISTIANS. 

It  IS  difficult  for  those  living  in  Christian  lands  to  understand  the  peculiar 
trials  and  temptations  of  Christians  among  the  heathen.  Sometimes  they  are 
exposed  to  violent  opposition  from  their  heathen  relatives.  A  young  man, 
named  Supyan,  became  interested  in  the  truth  early  in  the  history  of  the  mis- 
sion. He  was  aa  intelligent  lad  of  nineteen,  whose  father  was  wealthy,  and 
connected  with  one  of  the  temples  near  the  town  of  Jaffna ;  but  he  allowed  his 
son  to  attend  the  school  at  Tillipally.  Having  there  professed  his  behef  in  the 
Bible,  the  father  was  much  alarmed,  and  when  he  returned  home,  caused  him 
to  be  confined,  and  kept  for  a  time  without  food.  He  then  ordered  him  to 
perform  certain  heathen  ceremonies.  Supyan  refused,  and  when  shut  up  in  a 
dark  room,  made  his  escape,  and  fled  to  Tillipally,  where  he  told  Mr.  Poor 
what  had  befallen  him.  He  took  a  Testament,  and  pointing  to  the  tenth  chap- 
ter of  ^latthew,  from  the  thirty-fourth  to  the  thirty-ninth  verses,  said,  with 
tears,  "  Tliat  very  good"  His  father,  hearing  where  he  was,  sent  for  liim,  and 
as  he  did  not  return  immediately,  came  himself,  and  took  him  away.  They 
were  no  sooner  out  of  sight,  than  his  father  stripped  him  of  his  good  cloth,  put 
on  him  one  so  poor  as  to  be  disgraceful,  placed  a  burden  on  his  head,  as  though 
he  was  a  slave,  and  beat  him  frequently  with  a  shoe  —  which  is  very  disgrace- 
ful among  the  Hindoos  —  until  he  reached  home.  Every  art  was  then  used 
to  make  him  renounce  Christianity.  His  relatives  said  the  missionaries  had 
given  him  some  medicine  to  make  him  a  Christian,  and  asked  what  it  was. 
He  rephed,  "  The  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ."  A  great  variety  of  drugs  were  put 
into  his  food,  to  turn  him  back  to  idolatry ;  and  an  idol  feast  being  made  by 
some  of  liis  young  fi'iends,  he  was  ordered  by  his  parents  to  make  the  custom- 
ary offerings  to  the  idol.  When  the  time  came,  he  entered  the  little  room 
where  the  idol  was  enthroned,  pulled  off  its  ornaments,  and  kneeled  down  to 
pi-ay  to  the  true  God.  One  of  his  companions,  looking  through  the  cm-tain, 
saw  what  was  done,  and  told  his  father,  who  punished  him  severely,  and  sent 
him  for  a  time  to  Kandy,  in  the  interior  of  the  island.  Afterward  his  father 
changed  his  conduct,  and  lavished  caresses  upon  him,  showed  him  his  various 
possessions,  and  told  him  he  should  have  all  if  he  would  give  up  the  idea  of  be- 
coming a  Christian,  but  if  not,  he  should  be  an  outcast  forever.  Supyan  chose 
banishment  from  his  father's  house,  saying,  "  I  do  not  need  house  or  land  if  I 
have  an  interest  in  heaven."  He  attempted  to  go  to  Tillipally,  but  was  fol- 
lowed and  taken  home  by  force.  They  then  tried  to  bring  him  under  engage- 
ments to  marry  a  heathen  gii'l ;  but  he  would  not  consent,  and  even  tore  the 


22  THE  CEYLON   MISSION. 

contract  when  offered  to  him.  In  short,  they  put  his  feet  in  the  stocks,  beat 
liim,  caused  him  to  be  conveyed  to  the  neighboring  continent,  and  at  length 
wearied  him  out,  so  that  he  signed  a  recantation  of  Christianity,  and  ever  after 
seemed  settled  in  heathenism.  There  have  been  other  cases  of  similar  perse- 
cution, though  none,  perhaps,  so  severe,  or  so  long  continued. 

This  opposition  often  comes  in  just  at  the  time  when  a  person  has  be- 
come interested,  and  seems  on  the  point  of  deciding  for  Christ,  and  turns  him 
back.  Sometimes  the  mother  will  threaten  to  throw  herself  into  the  well  —  a 
thing  not  unfrequently  done  by  females  in  distress.  In  one  case,  a  son  was 
turned  back  by  the  mother  throwing  herself  down  in  the  doorway,  and  telling 
the  son  that  if  he  insisted  on  going  to  the  church,  he  should  only  do  it  by 
waDiing  over  his  own  mother.  In  another  case,  of  a  woman  among  the  higher 
classes,  after  other  forms  of  persecution  failed,  the  relatives,  not  willing  to  give 
up,  and  as  if  in  the  last  struggles  of  despairing  hope,  cut  down  a  tree,  and  pre- 
pared the  funeral  pile  to  burn  the  mother  alive,  in  case  the  woman  refused  to 
return  to  her  heathenism,  " for  this"  said  they,  " will  atone  for  the  disgrace 
brought  upon  us  by  her  becoming  a  Christian."  This  had  the  desired  effect. 
She  was  overcome,  and  though  dragged  unwillingly  to  the  temple  at  first,  after- 
ward went  frequently.  When  exhorted  still  to  trust  in  Jesus,  to  take  courage, 
and  refuse  to  yield  to  temptations,  she  said,  "  I  know  it  is  my  duty,  I  see  that 
these  things  are  true,  and  that  the  customs  of  the  heathen  are  all  folly  and 
against  God ;  but  when  I  feel  the  blows  of  my  husband,  and  see  the  funeral  pile 
of  my  mother,  how  can  I  be  bold  —  how  can  I  trust  in  Jesus  ?  "  She  said  to 
Mrs.  Spaulding,  "  If  the  tree  had  been  cut  down  to  burn  me,  I  should  not  feel 
it  so  much ;  but  the  thought  that  my  poor  old  mother  must  thus  suffer  for  my 
sake  is  insupportable."  But  it  is  often  easier  for  the  native  Christians  to  meet 
open  persecution  than  to  resist  the  temptations  which  come  in  other  forms. 
There  is  the  temptation  to  yield  to  their  heathen  relatives  in  things  which  they 
may  consider  as  of  little  importance.  A  heathen  mother,  perhaps,  is  going  to  a 
festival,  and  the  Christian  daughter  is  tempted  to  yield  to  her  requests  for  aid 
by  way  of  furnishing  her  with  clothing  and  jewels.  A  loved  and  loving  mother, 
a  member  of  the  family,  observes  heathen  ceremonies  in  the  house,  before  the 
childi'en  of  Christian  parents,  and  in  her  love  and  pity  for  her  grandchildren, 
will  take  every  opportunity  she  can  to  rub  upon  their  foreheads  the  sacred 
ashes,  or  prejudice  their  minds  in  favor  of  her  gods ;  and  the  parents  can  not 
easily  prevent  it,  Avithout  casting  out  thcu'  own  mother  from  house  and  home. 
A  child  is  perhaps  sick :  the  grandmother  and  other  relatives,  after  the  failure 
of  other  means,  urge  the  resort  to  some  charm,  or  to  call  some  celebrated 
heathen  doctor,  who  gives  medicine  with  incantations ;  and  in  the  distress  and 
anxiety  of  the  mother,  she  yields.  She  herself  has  been  educated,  from  her 
cnrliest  infancy,  to  have  confidence  in  such  things,  and  it  is  difficult  to  free  her 
mind  from  the  influence  of  such  education.  She  will  almost  involuntarily  start 
as  the  lizard  chirps,  or  some  other  unfavorable  omen  suddenly  surprises  her ; 
and  when  sickness  or  death  comes  into  the  family,  and  loved  friends  attribute 
it  to  the  neglect  of  the  gods,  it  needs  a  firm  faith  to  stand  unfaltering  till  the 
storm  has  blown  past.  Again,  there  is  a  wedding  in  the  family,  conducted,  of 
course,  with  heathen  ceremooies.     The  Christian  brother  or  sister  must  either 


TRIALS   AND  DANGERS   OF  NATIVE   CHRISTIANS.  23 

be  present,  and  thus  give  sanction  indirectly  to  idolatry,  or  be  cut  off  from  all 
B\  mpathy  with  family  friends.  A  neighbor  comes  in  on  the  Sabbath,  knowing 
it  to  be  a  day  of  leisure  with  the  Christian,  to  avail  himself  of  his  superior 
education,  to  get  some  writing  done,  a  deed  or  a  petition  drawn,  and  it  is  hard 
to  refuse.  For  purposes  of  irrigation,  it  is  usual  for  several  neighbors  to 
own  a  well  together ;  and  as  it  takes  three  persons  to  draw  water  for  watering 
the  fields,  they  assist  one  another.  When  one  is  a  Christian,  the  others  will 
refuse  to  assist  him  at  all,  if  he  will  not  help  them  on  the  Sabbath.  In  like 
manner  they  are  dependent  on  one  another  for  bullocks  in  plowing,  and  assist- 
ance in  harvest ;  and  the  heathen  are  on  the  watch  to  catch  the  Christian  in 
matters  of  his  religion,  and  are  sure  to  make  demands  which  will  interfere 
with  it. 

The  most  common  device  is  to  entangle  a  young  Christian  in  a  heathen 
marriage.  The  heathen  father  of  a  Christian  young  man  wiU  perhaps  pledge 
to  another  man,  under  a  severe  penalty,  which  can  not  be  incurred  without 
great  loss  and  sacrifice,  that  his  son  shall  marry  the  man's  daughter ;  and  the 
son,  in  love  and  pity  for  his  father,  is  tempted  to  yield,  flattering  himself  with 
the  usually  vain  hope  that  he  can  succeed  in  making  his  wife  a  Christian.  A 
very  frequent  temptation  to  a  heathen  marriage  is  the  large  dowry  which  many 
of  the  heathen  are  now  willing  to  offer  with  their  daughters,  to  an  educated 
young  man,  who  is  consequently  called  to  choose  between  a  Christian  wife 
with  little  or  no  dowry,  and  poor  relatives,  and  a  heathen  wife  with  a  large 
dowry,  and  connected  with  a  wealthy  family.  He  has  seen  neither  of  them,  and 
can  not  till  he  is  married.  The  relatives  of  both  are  heathen,  and  in  that  coun- 
try a  man  weds,  with  his  wife,  the  whole  circle  of  relatives.  The  temptation  is 
strong  —  the  most  common  and  the  most  successfuh  Not  a  few  have  fallen 
into  this  pit,  and  have  been  lost,  at  least  for  a  time.  Some  have  returned,  and 
a  few  have  brought  their  wives  with  them. 

To  meet  these  trials  of  their  faith,  the  native  Christians  have  little  strength 
of  moral  character.  Born  of  heathen  parents ;  inheriting  the  debasing  influ- 
ence of  heathenism,  which  has  been  accumulating  and  concentrating  for  so 
many  generations ;  educated  in  an  atmosphere  of  idolati-y  and  sin,  where  truth 
is  literally  fallen  and  trampled  upon  in  the  streets,  —  where  lying,  stealing,  and 
adultery  are  no  disgrace  ;  it  is  no  light  thing  for  them  to  "  stand  up  for  Jesus  " 
at  all  times  and  under  all  circumstances. 

Again :  if  Christians  in  this  land,  with  all  the  overwhelming  evidence  they 
have  of  the  truth  of  their  religion,  do  sometimes  have  the  doubt  come  into  their 
minds  for  a  moment,  whether  it  is  true,  after  all,  much  more  may  those  where 
the  W'hole  community,  comprising  the  wealth  and  talent  of  the  land,  is  against 
them,  whose  religion  boasts  of  an  antiquity  which  runs  back  for  ages  beyond 
the  Mosaic  history,  and  who  affect  to  despise  the  few  foreigners  who  have 
come  in,  and  are  attempting  to  introduce  a  new  religion  of  so  recent  a  date, 
and  which  has  nothing  grand  or  imposing  connected  with  its  history  or  its 
worship.  It  is  not  surprising  that  faith  sometimes  falters.  One  of  the  mis- 
sionaries, after  giving  the  native  Christians  an  account  of  the  confirmation  of 
Scripture  by  the  discoveries  in  Nineveh,  remarked  that  to  them  these  things 
were  not  of  so  much  importance  in  confirming  Scripture,  as  they  did  not  need 


24  THE   CEYLON   MISSION. 

ihem.  A  native  preacher  immediately  replied,  "  To  us  these  tilings  are  like 
eyes  to  the  blind."  Similar  were  the  remarks  made  concerning  a  wandering 
Jew,  who  came  along  a  few  years  ago.  They  had  never  seen  a  Jew  before, 
and  as  they  heard  him  chant  the  Hebrew  Scriptures,  they  seemed  to  have  a 
new  realization  of  the  truth  of  the  Bible.  Here  was  one  of  the  very  people 
whose  history  occupies  so  prominent  a  place  in  its  pages. 

And  when  these  Christians  do  yield  to  their  doubts  and  temptations,  and  fall 
away,  it  is  a  more  serious  matter  than  an  apostasy  in  this  country.  The  mir- 
acle of  a  renewed  heart  acting  upon  the  life,  is  the  standing  miracle  which 
testifies  to  the  truth  of  Chiistianity  before  the  world ;  and  he  who  professes  to 
have  been  renewed  needs  to  be  very  free  from  faults  to  have  any  influence  in 
favor  of  the  truth.  The  position  of  the  catechists  and  native  pastors  is  often 
very  trying,  on  account  of  the  little  confidence  the  people  have  in  their  sincer- 
ity. A  heathen  will  sometimes  say  to  them,  "  Yes,  I  will  listen  to  what  you 
have  to  say  as  a  personal  favor  to  you.  It  is  your  work  to  talk  to  us,  for  which 
you  are  paid.  It  is  therefore  my  duty,  as  your  friend,  to  listen  to  you,  to 
encourage  you  in  your  business." 

These  Christians  should  therefore  be  sustained  and  strengthened  by  the 
prayers  of  those  more  favored  and  less  tempted  in  this  land.  Let  them  be 
especially  remembered  in  the  monthly  concert ;  let  them  not  be  forgotten  in 
the  church  prayer  meeting ;  and  let  them  at  least  be  remembered  by  one  peti- 
tion in  the  daily  family  and  private  devotions  of  Christians. 

A  word  may  properly  be  said  here,  also,  respecting  the  need  of  prayer  for 
the  children  in  schools. 

The  Hindoos  have  a  proverb,  "  The  father  and  mother  are  the  first  god  the 
child  knows."  There  is  an  important  truth  in  this  saying.  The  Creator  evi- 
dently designed  that  the  child  should  follow  the  steps  of  its  parents,  and  be 
by  them  trained  in  piety  and  righteousness.  It  is  an  unnatural  state  of  things 
when  a  child  has  parents  unfitted  for  tliis  work,  and  must  be  taught  by  others 
that  they  are  wrong,  and  that  he  should  forsake  their  instruction  and  their  ways. 
These  children  are  objects  of  compassion  and  sympathy.  The  missionaries  tell 
them  one  thing,  and  their  own  beloved  father  and  mother  the  reverse.  Which 
■will  they  naturally  believe  ?  With  the  child,  also,  the  wonderful  miracles  said 
to  be  performed  by  the  heathen  gods  have  much  influence.  The  miracles  of 
the  Bible  are  stories  of  past  ages.  Their  own  sacred  books  have  not  only  more 
wonderful  stories  of  the  past,  but  their  religion  boasts  of  its  present  miracles. 
The  child  is  really  perplexed.  A  little  girl  in  Manepy,  who  was  told  that  one 
of  their  gods,  at  a  temple  a  few  miles  distant,  caused  men's  tongues,  which 
had  been  cut  off,  to  grow  out  again,  went  away,  and  prayed,  "  O  God,  if  the 
god  which  makes  the  tongue  grow  is  God,  tell  me ;  if  Jesus  Christ  is  God, 
tell  me." 


PERSONS  CONNECTED   WITH  THE  MISSION. 


25 


CONCLUSION. 

The  waj'  seems  to  be  remarkably  prepared  in  Jaffna  for  an  outpouring  of  the 
Spirit  upon  the  whole  community.  The  thirty  thousand  who  have  studied  the 
Bible  in  the  village  schools  are  scattered  all  through  the  land.  What  an 
encouragement  for  Christians  to  pray  that  God  will  bless  his  own  Word! 
Revivals  heretofore  have  been  confined  principally  to  the  boarding  schools ; 
but  there  seems  reason  to  hope  for  an  awakening  among  the  masses.  This 
is  the  great  want  of  the  mission.  It  has  come  to  a  point  in  its  history  where 
it  seems  as  though  it  could  hardly  continue  without  it. 

Much  labor  has  been  bestowed,  for  many  years,  and  much  prayer  has  been 
offered  by  the  faithful  laborers.  Some  of  those  who  have  gone  forth  weeping, 
bearing  precious  seed,  have  gone  to  their  reward.  Thek  sacred  dust  conse- 
crates the  soil  on  which  they  labored.  Theu*  names  will  not  soon  be  forgotten 
in  Jaffna.  Others  are  still  spared  —  may  it  not  be  hoped  to  rejoice  over  a 
rich  and  abundant  harvest  ?  But  this  blessing  depends  much  upon  the  prayers 
of  Christians  in  the  United  States.  In  former  revivals  in  Ceylon,  the  mission- 
aries used  to  say  they  knew  when  Christians  were  praying  at  home  before  the 
news  came  by  mail. 

The  following  persons  have  been  connected,  with  the  Ceylon  mission  :  — 


Rev.  James  Richards,  .  .  . 
Mrs.  Sarah  Richards,  .  •  . 
Rev.  Edward  Warren,  .  .  . 
Rev.  Benjamin  C.  Meigs,  .  . 
Mrs.  Sarah  M.  Meigs,  .  .  . 
Rev.  Daniel  Poor,    .... 

Mrs.  Susan  Poor 

Mrs.  Ann  K.  Poor,  .... 
Rev.  Miron  Winslow,*  ,  . 
Mrs.  Harriet  W.  Winslow,  . 
Rev.  John  Scudder,  M.  D.,*  . 
Mrs.  Harriet  Scudder,  ,  .  . 
Rev.  Levi  Spaulding,  .  .  . 
Mrs.  Mary  C.  Spaulding,  .  . 
Rev.  Henry  Woodward,  .  . 
Mrs.  Lydia  Woodward,  .  . 
Mrs.  Clarissa  Woodward,  .  . 
Rev.  Geo.  H.  Apthorpe,  .  . 
Mrs.  Mary  R.  Apthorpe,  ,  . 
Rev.  Henry  R.  Hoisington,  . 
Mrs.  Nancy  L.  Hoisington,  . 
Rev.  Samuel  Hutchings,  .  . 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  C.  Hutchings, 
Rev.  James  R.  Eckard,  . 
Mrs.  Margaret  E.  Eckard,  . 
Nathan  Ward,  M.  D.,t      .     . 


Joined  the 
Mission. 

Left. 

Died. 

1816 

1822 

1816 

1823 

1816 

1818 

1816 

1858 

1862 

1816 

1840 

1816 

1855 

1816 

1821 

1823 

1855 

1819 

1864 

1819 

1833 

1819 

1855 

1819 

1849 

1819 

1819 

1820 

1834 

1820 

1825 

1826 

1836 

1833 

1844 

1833 

1849 

1833 

1850 

1833 

1850 

1833 

1842 

1833 

1843 

1834 

1843 

1834 

1843 

1833 

1847 

*  Kemoved  to  Madras,  1836. 

t  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.nrd  sailed  again,  to  rejoin  the  mission,  in  1860. 
passage.    Mrs.  Ward  left  for  the  United  States  in  1865. 
4 


Mr.  Ward  died  on  the 


26 


THE  CEYLON    MISSION. 


Mrs.  Hannah  W.  Ward,    .     . 
Mr.  Eastman  S.  Minor,     .     , 
Mrs.  Lucy  B.  Minor,    .     .     . 
;Mrs.  Judith  M.  Elinor,      .     . 
Rev.  John  M.  S.  Perry,     .     . 
Mrs.  Harriet  J.  Perry,  .     .     , 
Miss  Eliza  Agnew,  .     .     . 
Miss  Sarah  F.  Brown,  .     .     , 
Rev.  Edward  Cope,  .     .     .     , 
Mrs.  Emily  K.  Cope,     .     . 
Rev.  S.  G.  Whittelsey,      . 
Mrs.  Anna  C.  Whittelsey, 
Rev.  Robert  Wyman,   .    . 
Mrs.  Martha  Wyman,  .     . 
Rev.  John  C.  Smith,      .     . 
Mrs.  Eunice  P.  Smith,  .     . 
Mrs.  Mary  Smith,    ... 
Rev.  Adin  H.  Fletcher,     . 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  W.  Fletcher, 
Rev.  Wm.  W.  Howland,  .     , 
Mrs.  Susan  R.  Howland,  . 
Rev.  W.  W.  Scudder,*      . 
Mrs.  Catharine  E.  Scudder,   , 
Rev.  Eurotus  P.  Hastings,    . 
Mrs.  Anna  Hastings,   .     .     . 
Samuel  F.  Green,  M.  D.,  ,     , 
Mrs.  Margaretta  W.  Green,  , 
Rev.  Joseph  T.  Noyes,t    .     . 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  A.  Noyes,t    . 
Rev.  Cyrus  T.  Mills,     .     ,     . 
Mrs.  Susan  L.  Mills,    .     .     , 
Mr.  Thomas  S.  Burnell.t  .     , 
Mrs.  Martha  Burnell,t 
Rev.  Marshall  D.  Sanders,    , 
Mrs.  Georgiana  K.  Sanders, 
Rev.  Nathan  L.,  Lord,t     .     . 
Mrs.  Laura  M.  Lord,t       •     ^ 
Rev.  Milan  H.  Hitchcock, 
Mrs.  Lucy  A.  Hitchcock,  .     , 
Rev.  James  Quick,  .     .     . 
Mrs.  Maria  E.  Quick,  .     .     , 
Rev.  James  A.  Bates,  .     .     , 
Mrs.  Sarah  A.  Bates,  .     .     , 


Joined  the 

].eft. 

Died. 

Mission. 
1833 

1834 

1851 

1834 

1837 

1839 

1851 

1835 

1837 

1835 

1837 

1839 

1839 

1841 

1840 

1848 

1840 

1848 

1842 

1847 

1842 

1848 

1842 

1845 

1842 

1845 

1842 

1842 

1842 

1843 

1846 

1850 

1846 

1850 

1846 

1846 

1846 

1852 

1846 

1849 

1846 

1853 

1846 

1862 

1849 

1852 

1849 

1852 

1849 

1853 

1849 

1853 

1849 

1855 

1849 

1855 

1852 

1852 

1853 

1860 

1853 

1860 

1858 

1860 

1858 

1860 

1858 

1858 

1861 

1864 

1861 

1864 

*  Transferred  to  Arcot. 


t  Transferred  to  Madura. 


SKETCH  OF  THE  MADURA  MISSION. 


THE     FIEIjID. 

The  field  of  the  Madura  mission  is  the  Madura  Collectorate,  in  Southern 
India.  It  has  between  the  ninth  and  eleventh  parallels  of  north  latitude,  and 
between  the  Gulf  of  Manaar  on  the  east  and  the  district  of  Travancore  on  the 
west.  It  has  a  surface  of  ten  thousand  square  miles,  and  a  population  of 
nearly  two  millions. 

The  face  of  the  country  in  the  eastern  part  is  level.  In  the  western  part, 
mountains  are  often  found  rising  abruptly  from  level  plains.  A  range, 
seven  thousand  feet  in  height,  extends  along  nearly  the  whole  of  the  western 
border,  adding  much  not  only  to  the  beauty  of  the  scenery,  but  to  the  fertility 
and  heaithfulness  of  the  district. 

SOIL  AND   PKODUCTIONS  —  CLIMATE. 

The  soil  is  generally  rich,  and  when  rain  falls  plentifully,  in  its  season, 
is  highly  productive.  The  most  valuable  productions  are  cotton,  castor-beans, 
tobacco,  rice,  and  several  kinds  of  grain  and  pulse  unknown  in  this  country. 
Many  varieties  of  tropical  fruits  are  found,  of  which  the  most  abundant  are 
cocoa-nuts,  tamarinds,  and  plantains. 

The  climate  is  hot  and  dry.  For  many  successive  days,  in  the  hot  season, 
the  thermometer  in  the  house  ranges  from  96°  to  100°  in  the  afternoon,  and 
the  nights  are  but  little  cooler.  In  the  coolest  part  of  the  year,  the  thermome- 
ter in  the  open  air  never  indicates  a  lower  degree  of  temperatm'e  than  69° 
or  70°. 

The  climate  is,  however,  free  from  great  and  sudden  changes,  and  compara- 
tively healthy.  For  twenty  years  previous  to  1865,  during  which  time  there 
I.a^e  been,  on  an  average,  from  fifteen  to  twenty  adults  in  the  mission,  only 
twj  have  died  there,  (besides  one  who  was  drowned,)  and  one  of  these  was  an 
invalid  before  leaving  America. 

Of  the  present  and  former  missionaries,  nearly  twenty,  including  persons  of 
both  sexes,  have  spent  from  fifteen  to  twenty  years  in  the  mission,  without 
leaving  it. 

The  health  of  the  mission  is  greatly  promoted  by  the  Sanitarium  on  the 
Pulney  Mountains,  in  the  Madura  district.  The  location  is  about  seven 
thousand  feet  above  the  plains,  and  the  air  is  cool  and  bracing.  In  the  cool 
season,  the  climate  is  much  like  that  of  Xew  England  in  the  clear  days  of 
October.  Even  in  the  hottest  part  of  the  year,  when,  upon  the  plains,  the 
lightest  garments  are  burdensome,  thick  clothing  and  a  little  fire  are  needed 

^2!) 


28  THE   MADURA   MISSION. 

for  comfort.  No  one  who  has  not  experienced  the  heat  of  India,  can  imagine 
how  much  a  person  is  refreshed  by  a  change,  for  a  little  time,  from  the  burn- 
ing plains  to  the  top  of  these  mountains,  and  how  great  reason  the  members 
of  the  Madura  mission,  and  other  forc'ii,niers  in  that  part  of  India,  have  to  be 
grateful  for  the  delightful  retreat  afforded  by  them. 

TUE   PEOPLK  —  TKIIPLES   AND  FESTIVALS. 

The  gi'eat  mass  of  the  people  in  this  district  are  heathen,  though  Moham- 
medans are  numerous  in  the  large  towns,  and  there  are  many  Roman  Cath- 
olics. All  speak  the  Tamil  language,  and  several,  who  came  originally  from 
regions  further  north,  also  speak  Teluga. 

There  are  many  ancient  temples  in  the  Madura  district,  which  have  been 
much  resorted  to  by  one  generation  after  another,  for  hundreds  of  years. 
Several  of  these  are  large,  and  were  built  at  enormous  expense.  The  largest 
and  most  celebrated  is  the  temple  in  the  city  of  Madura,  devoted  to  Minachy, 
the  tutelar  goddess  of  that  place.  She  is  supposed  to  be  the  deified  daughter 
of  one  of  the  Pandian  kings,  by  whom  this  part  of  India  was  ruled  for  several 
centuries,  both  before  and  after  the  commencement  of  the  Christian  era.  This 
temple  was  begun  by  one  of  the  earlier  kings,  and  enlarged  and  beautified  by 
his  successors,  who  expended  vast  sums  of  money  upon  it,  and  gave  lands  of 
great  value  for  its  support.  It  covers  several  acres  of  ground,  and  has  four 
high  pagodas,  or  towers.  Two  or  three  elephants  are  always  kept  in  it,  which 
are  used  in  processions  on  great  occasions.  Four  or  five  images  of  horses  and 
bullocks,  made  of  wood,  and  covered  with  plates  of  gold  and  silver,  belong  to 
the  temple,  upon  which  the  image  of  the  goddess  is  sometimes  placed,  and 
carried  through  the  streets  of  the  city. 

A  large  number  of  "  dancing  girls "  are  connected  with  this  temple,  who 
were  devoted  to  it  by  their  parents,  or  born  of  those  previously  thus  devoted. 
A  part  of  their  duty  is  to  sing  and  dance  in  the  temple.  They  are  as  corrupt 
in  character  as  many  of  the  women  in  Corinth  were  in  the  days  of  the  apostle 
Paul.  Several  men  are  also  connected  with  it,  who  play  upon  drums,  and  other 
instruments,  the  sound  of  which  may  be  heard  all  over  the  city,  every  morning, 
befdre  the  dawn  of  day. 

In  passing  the  wide  gates  of  the  temple  at  night,  one  is  astonished  at  the 
number  of  lamps  kept  burning.  They  are  so  arranged  as  to  present  a  very 
striking  appearance,  the  object  of  them  being  to  make  a  show  rather  than  to 
give  light.  An  annual  festival  is  observed  in  honor  of  this  goddess,  attended 
by  thousands  of  people  from  all  parts  of  Southern  India,  and  from  the  island 
of  Ceylon. 

There  are  many  choultries,  or  rest-houses,  in  and  around  Madura,  built  for 
the  accommodation  of  people  who  attend  this  festival.  One  within  the  walls 
of  the  temple  is  called  "  the  thousand  pillared  choultry,"  from  the  number  of 
stone  pillars  by  which  the  roof  is  supported.  During  this  festival,  the  image 
of  the  goddess  is  brought  out,  covered  with  ornaments  of  precious  stones  set 
in  gold,  placed  upon  a  large  and  highly  decorated  car,  and  drawn  round  the 
city,  attended  by  the  beating  of  drums,  the  blowing  of  horns,  and  the  shouts 
of  the  great  mukilude. 


ORIGIN    AND   MEMBERS   OP  THE   MISSION. 


29 


The  last  thing  that  takes  place,  from  year  to  year,  is  the  marriage  of 
Minachy  to  Sokalingam,  another  name  of  Siva.  Alagar,  the  beautiful  one, 
a  name  given  to  Vishnu,  is  annually  brought  down  from  his  temple  at  the  foot 
of  Alagar  Mountain,  twelve  miles  from  Madura,  to  take  part  in  the  marriage 
ceremony.     His  temple  is  large  and  richly  endowed. 

The  following  temples  also  are  much  celebrated :  One  devoted  to  Suprima- 
nian,  at  Secunder  Molie,  four  miles  from  Madura,  at  which  there  is  a  monthly 
as  well  as  an  annual  festival;  another  devoted  to  the  same  deity  atPulney ;  and 
one  for  the  worship  of  Siva,  on  the  island  of  Ramesuram,  near  the  eastern 
coast.  Pilgrims  resort  to  this  temple  in  great  numbers,  on  account  of  the  sup- 
posed efficacy  of  the  water  there  in  cleansing  from  moral  pollution. 

ORIGIN  AND   MEMBERS   OF  THE   MISSION. 

Rev.  Levi  Spaulding,  of  the  American  mission  in  Ceylon,  visited  the  conti- 
nent in  January,  1834,  and  selected  Madura  as  the  site  of  a  new  mission  among 
the  Tamil  people. 

In  July,  1834,  Messrs.  Hoisington  and  Todd,  of  the  Ceylon  mission,  made  a 
visit  to  Madura.  Mr.  Hoisington  returned  after  two  months,  and  Mr.  Todd 
remained.  He  buried  his  wife  in  September,  1835,  and  subsequently  married 
Mrs.  Woodard,  who  died  in  June,  1837.  His  own  health  failed,  and  he  left 
for  America  in  January,  1839. 

Rev.  Daniel  Poor,  who  had  labored  in  Ceylon  nearly  twenty  years,  visited 
Madura  in  October,  1835,  and  removed  there  with  his  family  the  following 
March.  He  remained  in  this  mission,  laboring  with  great  earnestness,  till  July, 
1841,  when  he  returned  to  Ceylon.  His  name  is  still  remembered  with  great 
respect  among  the  natives  in  Madura.  Rev.  Messrs.  A.  C.  Hall  and  J.  J. 
LawTence  arrived  in  Madura  with  Mr.  Poor.  "  This  reenforcement,"  it  is  said, 
"  together  with  the  preaching  of  Mr.  Poor,  and  the  books  brought  by  him,  excited 
great  attention  among  the  natives." 

The  names  of  those  who  are  or  have  been  members  of  this  mission,  with  the 
year  of  their  arrival  in  the  field,  and  the  year  of  the  leaving  or  death  of  those 
who  are  no  longer  members,  are  presented  in  the  following  table.  Of  those 
who  left  early,  Messrs.  Echard  and  Poor,  with  their  wives,  returned  to  Ceylon, 
where  they  were  laboring  before  going  to  Madura.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cope  also 
joined  the  Ceylon  mission,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ward,  and  also  Mrs.  Dwight,  (as 
Mrs.  Winslow,)  went  to  Madras. 


Rev.  Wm.  Todd,  .  . 
Mrs.  L.  B.  Todd,  .  . 
Mrs.  C.  E.  Todd,  .  . 
Rev.  James  R.  Eckard, 
Mrs.  M.  E.  Eckai-d,  . 
Rev.  Alanson  C.  Hall, . 
Mrs.  Frances  A.  Hall,  . 
Rev.  J.  J.  Lawrence,  . 
Mrs.  M.  H.  Lawrence, 
Rev.  Daniel  Poor,  .  . 
Mrs.  A.  K.  Poor,     .     . 


Joined  the 
Mission. 

Left. 

1834 

1839 

1834 

1836 

1835 

1836 

1835 

1836 

1835 

1836 

1835 

1835 

1835 

1847 

1836 

1841 

1836 

1841 

Died. 


1835 
1837 


1836 
1846 


30 


THE  MADURA  MISSION. 


Rev.  Robert  O.  Dwight,  .  . 
Mrs.  M.  B.  Dwight,  .  .  . 
Rev.  Henry  Cherry,  .  .  . 
Mrs.  C.  H.  Cherry,  .  .  .  . 
Mrs.  Jane  E.  Cherry,  .  .  . 
Mrs.  Henrietta  Cherry,  .  . 
Rev.  Edward  Cope,  .  .  . 
Mrs.  E.  K.  Cope,  .... 
Rev.  Nathaniel  M.  Crane, 
Mrs.  Julia  A.  J.  Crane,  .  . 
Rev.  C.  F.  Muzzy,  .... 
Mrs.  S.  B.  Muzzy,  .  .  .  . 
Mrs.  M.  A.  Muzzy, .  .  .  . 
Rev.  Wm.  Tracy,  .  .  .  . 
Mrs.  E.  F.  Tracy,  .... 
Rev.  F.  D.  W.  Ward,  .  .  . 
Mrs.  Jane  S.  Ward,  .  .  . 
John  Steele,  M.  D.,  .  .  .  . 
Mrs.  Mary  S.  Steele,  .  .  . 
Alfred  North, ...... 

Mrs.  North, 

Rev.  H.  S.  Taylor 

Mrs.  M.  E.  Taylor,  .... 
Rev.  James  Herrick,  .  .  . 
Mrs.  E.  H.  Herrick,  .  .  . 
Rev.  John  Rendall,  .  ,  . 
Mrs.  J.  B.  Rendall,  .  .  . 
Rev.  Edward  Webb,  .  .  . 
Mrs.  Nancy  A.  Webb, .  .  . 
Rev.  George  W.  McMillan,  . 
Mrs.  R.  N.  McMillan,  .  .  . 
Rev.  John  E.  Chandler,  .  . 
Mrs.  C.  H.  Chandler,  .  .  . 
Rev.  George  Ford,  .... 
Mrs.  Ann  J.  Ford,  .... 
Rev.  Charles  Little, .... 
Mrs.  Amelia  M.  Little,  .  . 
Mrs.  Susan  R.  Little,   .     .     . 

C.  S.  Shelton,  M.  D 

Mrs.  H.  M.  Shelton,  .  .  . 
Rev.  J.  T.  Noyes,  .... 
Mrs.  E.  A.  Noyes,  .... 
Rev.  T.  S.  Burnell,  .... 
Mrs.  Martha  Burnell,  .  .  . 
Rev.  W.  B.  Capron,     .     .     . 

Mrs.  S.  B.  Capron 

Rev.  Charles  T.  White,  .  . 
Mrs,  Anna  M.  White,  .  .  . 
Rev.  Edward  Chester,  .  .  . 
Mrs.  Sophia  Chester,  .  .  . 
Miss  Sarah  W.  Ashley,  .  . 
Rev.  George  T.  Washburn,  . 
Mrs.  Eliza  E.  Washburn,  .  . 
Rev.  David  C.  Scudder,  .  . 
Mrs.  Harriet  L.  Scudder, .  . 
Rev.  Nathan  L.  Lord,  M.  D., 
Mrs.  Laura  W.  Lord,   .     .     . 


Joined  the 
Missioa. 

Left. 

Died. 

1836 

1844 

1836 

1845 

1837 

1849 

1837 

1837 

1839 

1844 

1844 

1849 

1837 

1839 

1837 

1839 

1837 

1844 

1837 

1844 

1837 

1857 

1837 

1846 

1848 

1857 

1837 

1837 

1837 

1843 

1837 

1843 

1837 

1842 

1837 

1843 

1843 

1847 

1843  • 

1844 

1844 

1844 

1846 

1846 

1846 

1846 

1846 

1864 

1846 

1864 

1846 

1854 

1846 

1854 

1847 

1847 

1847 

1853 

1847 

1853 

1848 

1858 

1848 

1848 

1854 

1858 

1849 

1855 

1849 

1855 

1853 

1853 

1855 

1855 

1857 

1857 

1857 

1857 

1859 

1859 

1859 

1864 

1860 

1860 

1861 

1862 

1861 

1863 

1863 

1863 

EDUCATION.  31 

Rev.  J.  Scudder,  M.  D.,  labored  two  years  in  this  field,  from  April,  1847, 
without  becoming  a  member  of  the  mission. 

Previous  to  the  establishment  of  the  American  mission  in  Madura,  no 
Protestant  missionary  had  ever  resided  in  the  district.  Subsequently,  the 
"  Gospel  Propagation  Society "  supported  two  or  three  missionaries,  with 
a  few  catechists  and  schoolmasters,  in  the  district,  for  several  years.  But  in 
1859  the  agents  of  this  society  were  withdrawn  ;  and  by  a  mutual  agreement, 
the  whole  of  the  Madura  district,  except  a  part  of  Ramnad,  was  committed  to 
the  American  mission. 

The  whole  number  of  ordained  missionaries,  who  have  been  connected  with 
the  mission,  is  twenty-eight,  four  of  whom  united  with  other  missions  on  leav- 
ing this.  The  mission  has  been  in  existence  thirty-one  years,  and  the  average 
number  of  its  resident  members  has  been  between  eight  and  nine.  It  has 
enjoyed  the  services  of  a  mission  physician  just  half  the  time  from  its  com- 
mencement. Leaving  out  of  the  account  those  who  joined  other  missions  on 
going  from  this,  the  average  time  thus  far  spent  in  actual  service,  by  the 
present  and  former  members,  has  been  ten  and  a  half  years. 


MISSIONARY  OPERATIONS  AND  THEIR  RESULTS  —  EDUCATION. 

1.  Tamil  Free  Schools  and  English  Schools  for  the  Heathen. 

During  the  early  years  of  the  mission,  great  importance  was  attached  to 
education  as  a  means  of  evangelizing  the  people.  Free  schools  for  heathen 
children,  and  taught  by  heathen  masters,  were  for  a  time  supported  in  large 
numbers.  Two  were  established  at  once,  and  several  more  the  following  year. 
In  two  years  from  the  commencement  of  the  mission,  there  were  thirty-five 
schools,  and  the  next  year  sixty,  containing  twenty-two  hundred  and  eighty- 
four  pupils.  In  1840  the  number  had  increased  to  ninety-nine,  and  in  1844 
there  were  one  hundred  and  fourteen  schools,  containing  thirty-three  hundred 
and  fifty-three  pupils,  of  whom  one  hundred  and  fifteen  were  girls.  There 
were  also  four  called  select  schools,  containing  one  hundred  and  fourteen  pupils, 
somewhat  more  advanced  than  those  in  the  free  schools  generally.  This  was 
the  largest  number  of  free  schools  for  heathen  childi-en  supported  at  any  one 
time.  They  began  to  decline  soon  after,  and  five  years  later  there  were  only 
thirteen.  In  1850  there  were  ten,  six  of  which  were  taught  by  Christian 
teachers.  Four  years  later  there  were  no  schools  exclusively  for  heathen  chil- 
dren, and  since  that  time  none  have  been  employed  as  teachers,  who  were  not, 
nominally  at  least.  Christians.  In  the  mean  time  several  schools  had  sprung 
up,  most  of  them  more  remote  from  the  station  centres,  different  in  character, 
and  established  for  a  different  purpose.     These  will  be  spoken  of  hereafter. 

What  has  been  the  result  of  the  labor  and  expense  bestowed  upon  the  sys- 
tem of  education  described  above  can  not  be  definitely  told.  There  can  be  no 
doubt  that  those  schools  served,  to  some  extent,  to  conciliate  the  people,  and 
that  a  vast  number  of  children  learned  to  read  who  would  not  have  learned 
without  them,  is  certain.  It  is  also  certain  that  the  teachers  generally,  thou- 
sands of  their  pupils,  and  many  other  persons,  gained  considerable  knowledge 
of  the  principles  of  Christianity  by  means  of  the   schools.     Lessons  were 


32  THE  MADURA  MISSION. 

regularly  learned  from  the  "Rible  and  Catecliisms,  both  by  teachers  and  pupils, 
and  recited  to  the  superintending  missionary.  In  the  Annual  Report  for  1841 
it  was  said,  "  About  a  thousand  of  the  pupils  in  the  native  free  schools  are 
able  to  read,  and  nearly  the  whole  number  "  (upward  of  three  thousand,) 
"  have  committed  to  memory  the  ten  commandments,  the  Lord's  Prayer,  and 
a  small  Catechism."  Teachers  and  pupils  were  required  to  attend  meetings  on 
the  Sabbath.  Each  school  was  fi-equently  visited  by  the  missionary  as  well  as 
by  catechists,  and  made  a  place  of  preaching  and  giving  religious  instruction ; 
yet  very  few  of  the  teachers  or  pupils  have  thus  far  become  Christians,  and 
many  of  them  have  died  without  leaving  any  evidence  that  they  were  benefited, 
spiritually,  by  the  truths  made  known  to  them.  Many  of  these  remarks  apply 
equally  to  English  schools,  two  of  which  were  early  established,  and  one  con- 
tinued for  twenty  years. 

2.    Station  and  Village  Schools. 

At  each  station  under  the  care  of  a  resident  missionary,  there  is  a  vernacu- 
lar school,  taught  by  a  Christian,  and  generally  superintended  by  the  mission- 
ar}''s  wife.  All  other  free  schools  are  in  village  congregations,  having  been 
established  with  direct  reference  to  the  children  of  people  who  have  embraced 
Christianity.  Heathen  children,  however,  are  usually  allowed  and  encouraged 
to  attend.  The  teachers  are  all  Christians,  and  the  same  lessons  are  taught  to 
both  Christian  and  heathen  children.  The  number  of  station  and  village 
schools,  at  the  end  of  1864,  was  sixty-four,  and  of  pupils  in  them,  eleven 
hundred  and  eighty-six. 

It  is  the  aim  of  the  mission  to  secure  the  attendance  of  all  Christian  children 
of  proper  age ;  but  such  is  the  poverty  of  many  of  the  parents,  and  their  inabil- 
ity to  appreciate  the  worth  of  education,  that  they  cannot  be  induced  to  send 
children  regularly  to  school  who  are  able  to  work. 

3.  Boarding  Schools. 

Within  five  years  of  the  origin  of  the  mission,  six  boarding  schools  were 
established  ;  four  for  boys  and  two  for  girls.  One  of  the  latter  was  supported 
for  a  short  time  by  individuals  in  the  country.  Those  for  boys  were  estab- 
lished chiefly  for  the  purpose  of  furnishing  the  mission  with  weU-educated 
native  assistants,  while  a  secondary  object  was  the  general  diffusion  of  Chris- 
tian knowledge.  The  object  of  the  schools  for  girls  was  twofold  —  to  promote 
female  education,  and  to  furnish  suitable  companions  for  catechists  and  teach- 
ers. These  schools  Mere  at  first  all  open  to  heathen  children,  but  were  taught 
by  Christian  teachers.  For  several  years  the  English  language  was  taught  in 
them  all,  and  pupils  were  received  before  even  learning  to  read  in  their  own 
language ;  but  rules  were  at  length  adopted  requiring  at  least  an  ability  to 
read  the  vernacular,  as  a  condition  of  being  received  to  a  boarding  school.  At 
a  later  period,  heathen  children,  and  cliildren  from  without  the  ]\Iadura  dis- 
trict, were  excluded.  The  study  of  Englifih  was  early  dropped  in  the  female 
boarding  schools,  and  afterward  in  the  schools  for  boys. 

The  boys'  boarding  schools  have  all  been  discontinued.    One  reason  for  this 


EDUCATION,  83 

was  their  expense;  another,  the  impression  that,  by  drawing  from  the  Mi..igc 
schools  the  sons  of  catechists,  teachers,  and  others  of  the  more  promising  boys, 
their  influence  was  prejudicial  to  those  schools  ;  and  the  hope  was  entertained 
that  the  seminary,  in  connection  with  the  village  schools,  would  be  able  to  meet 
the  demand  for  the  education  of  native  assistants.  Many  pupils  were  hopefully 
converted  while  in  the  boarding  schools,  and  others  after  going  from  them  to 
the  seminary. 

In  1840,  the  two  female  boarding  schools  were  united  in  the  school  at  Ma- 
dura, which  has  been  prosperous  and  very  useful  until  the  present  time.  The 
average  number  of  pupils  for  the  past  ten  years  has  been  forty-six.  All  were 
nominally  Christians  when  admitted,  and  many  have  since  been  received  to  the 
church.  Many  of  the  graduates  are  wives  of  native  pastors,  catechists,  and 
teachers,  and  several  have  been  themselves  employed  as  teachers. 

4.    The   Seminary. 

The  mission  at  first  relied  principally  upon  the  Batticotta  Seminary,  in  Cey- 
lon, to  furnish  the  native  assistants  needed ;  but  it  was  found  that  the  requisite 
number  could  not  be  obtained  from  that  source.  It  was  thought,  too,  that 
those  who  came  from  there  were  less  useful  than  if  they  had  been  born  and 
educated  upon  the  continent.  A  representation  was  made  to  the  Prudential 
Committee,  and  leave  was  obtained  to  establish  an  institution  within  the  mis- 
sion for  the  express  purpose  of  supplying  it  with  native  helpers. 

In  September,  1842,  a  seminary  was  opened  at  Tu'umangalam,  by  Mr. 
Tracy  as  principal,  with  thirty-four  students,  all  received  from  the  four  board- 
ing schools.  Ten  were  members  of  the  church.  At  fii'st,  the  seminary,  like 
\he  boarding  schools,  was  open  to  the  heathen  and  Roman  Catholics  as  well 
as  to  Protestant  Christians.  Some  were  received  from  places  without  the 
limits  of  the  mission,  and  several,  who  were  heathen  or  Catholics  when  they 
entered,  were  afterward  converted. 

For  several  years  the  English  language  held  a  prominent  place  in  this  insti- 
tution, as  in  the  boarding  schools,  and  all  the  pupils  spent  much  of  their  time 
in  this  study.  There  was  then  a  great  scarcity  of  books  in  the  Tamil,  suitable 
to  be  used  as  text  books,  or  to  be  consulted  for  general  knowledge  and  im- 
provement. There  was  also  then,  as  now,  a  great  desii"e  on  the  part  of  the 
natives  to  learn  English. 

In  1845  the  seminary  was  removed  from  Tirumangalam  to  Pasumalie,  the 
requisite  buildings  having  been  erected.  The  location  at  Tirumangalam  was  in 
some  respects  unfavorable,  and  there  were  not  suitable  buildings  there.  The 
present  location  is  in  all  respects  a  desirable  one. 

The  year  1847  was  an  important  one  to  the  Madura  mission,  on  account  of 
the  action  then  taken  upon  the  subject  of  caste,  which  had  a  special  influence 
upon  the  seminary.  The  case  is  thus  stated,  in  a  report  of  the  mission 
relative  to  the  seminary,  in  1855 :  "  The  year  1847  formed  an  era  in  the  history 
of  this  institution.  The  mission  took  action  on  the  subject  of  caste  in  July, 
having  direct  reference  to  the  catechists  and  church  members ;  and  it  was  the 
occasion  of  some  excitement  in  the  seminary,  from  the  fact  that  many  of  the 
catechists,  and  others  affected  by  the  caste  movement,  had  sons  in  the  institu- 
5 


34  THK   MADURA    MISSION. 

tion  at  the  time.  The  object  of  the  seminary  being  to  raise  up  helpers  for  the 
mission,  it  seemed  inconsistent  to  admit,  or  even  to  retain  in  the  institution, 
those  who,  by  observing  the  rules  of  caste,  would  be  unqualified  to  enter  the 
service  of  the  mission  as  catechists,  after  having  completed  their  course  of 
study.  In  consequence  of  the  action  of  the  mission  in  October,  1847,  the  sem- 
inary was  nearly  disl>anded,  only  one  of  the  teachers  and  nine  of  the  students 
having  complied  with  the  requisition  of  the  mission.  Some  of  the  scholars,  and 
one  of  the  teachers,  afterward  returned.  A  few  months  later,  a  class  of  twelve, 
mostly  Christians  from  our  own  district,  and  of  low  caste,  were  received." 
Since  that  time  very  few  students  have  been  received  from  abroad,  and  nearly 
all  have  come  from  Christian  families. 

In  1 849  the  course  of  study  was  so  modified  as  to  diminish  the  study  of  Eng- 
lish, except  in  the  case  of  a  comparatively  small  number  of  the  most  promising 
students.  Three  years  later  a  class  was  received,  consisting  of  fifteen  young 
men  from  the  different  stations,  who  had  been  instructed,  more  or  less  privately, 
by  catechists  and  missionaries.  They  knew  nothing  of  English,  studied  only 
Tamil  in  the  seminary,  and  left  the  institution  after  two  years,  and  engaged  in 
mission  service.  From  that  time  onward,  a  similar  class  has  generally  been 
connected  with  the  institution. 

The  English  language  received  less  and  less  attention,  until,  in  1859,  it  was  ' 
discontinued  as  a  regular  study.  The  missionaries  have  generally  regarded 
this  as  an  important  change.  One  strong  reason  formerly  existing  for  the 
study  of  English  has  been  removed  by  the  great  increase,  in  later  years,  of 
good  books  in  the  vernacular.  The  expense  of  education  is  thus  diminished, 
while  young  men,  having  a  knowledge  of  their  own  tongue  alone,  are  subject  to 
fewer  temptations  than  those  understanding  English,  and  are  retained  in 
mission  service  on  lower  pay. 

In  1857,  two  catechists,  previously  accepted  by  the  mission  as  candidates  for 
the  pastoral  office,  Avere  sent  to  the  seminary  for  a  year,  that  they  might  be- 
come better  fitted  for  their  future  duties.  They  made  good  improvement,  and 
were  afterward  ordained.  Since  then  there  have  usually  been  a  few  catechists 
engaged  in  study  at  the  seminary,  some  to  increase  their  qualifications  for  the 
work  of  catechists,  and  some  to  fit  themselves  for  pastors.  Most  have  highly 
appreciated  the  advantages  enjoyed  there,  and  have  been  much  benefited 
by  them. 

The  principal  of  the  seminary  has  occupied  the  place  he  now  fills  ever  since 
the  institution  was  started,  excepting  about  three  and  a  half  years,  spent  in 
visiting  this  country.  He  is  assisted  by  four  native  teachers,  all  well  fitted  for 
their  responsible  work. 

The  whole  number  who  have  regularly  left  the  institution  is  two  hundred  and 
sixty-one.  Of  these,  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  have  been  employed  in  the 
mission,  and  one  hundred  and  twenty-two  were  thus  employed  at  the  end  of 
1863.  Some  are  in  the  service  of  other  missions  ;  some  are  in  the  employment 
of  the  government ;  and  a  few  are  overseers  on  cofi"ee  plantations  in  Ceylon. 
It  is  pleasant  to  know  that  some  of  these,  at  least,  are  not  insensible  of  their 
obligations  to  the  mission,  nor  indifferent  in  regard  to  its  welfare.  One 
recently  sent  a  donation,  amounting  to  one  hundred  dollars  ;  and  smaller  sums 
have  been  given,  not  unfrequently,  by  others. 


DISPENSARY  —  LITKRARY   LABORS  —  PREACHING.  35 


DISPENSARY. 

A  dispensary  has  been  connected  with  the  mission  from  its  earlier  stages. 
In  the  absence  of  a  physician,  it  has  been  under  the  superintendence  of  a  mis- 
sionary, assisted  by  a  competent  native.  Many  have  resorted  to  it  almost 
daily,  the  number  amounting,  generally,  to  two  or  three  thousand  a  year,  em- 
bracing people  of  all  classes  and  all  religions  known  hi  the  district.  To  all 
who  have  thus  come,  the  truths  of  the  gospel  have  been  proclaimed,  often 
under  circumstances  peculiarly  favorable,  and  many  have  heard  repeatedly. 
May  it  be  found  in  the  last  day,  that  those  truths  have  been  made  "  the  power 
of  God  unto  salvation,"  to  great  numbers. 

LITERARY    LABORS. 

Though  there  has  never  been  a  printing  establishment  in  the  mission,  con- 
siderable labor  connected  with  the  press  has  been  performed.  One  member 
of  the  mission  was  for  several  years  associated  with  men  selected  from  four  or 
five  other  missions,  in  revising  the  Tamil  New  Testament;  a  work  which 
required  much  time  and  careful  study.     The  revision  was  completed  in  1863. 

The  same  missionary  translated  and  prepared  for  the  press  a  book  of  four 
hundred  pages  on  theology,  which  has  since  been  used  as  a  text  book  in  the 
seminary.  One  of  the  teachers  in  the  seminary  translated  the  abridgment  of 
Wayland's  Moral  Science,  another  produced  a  small  book,  in  Tamil,  on  the 
Life  of  Luther,  and  another  a  book  entitled  A  Description  of  Madura. 
These  three  works  were  published  by  the  "  Christian  Vernacular  Education 
Society." 

In  1853  the  mission  published  a  book  of  three  hundred  and  sixty-two  pages, 
containing  a  collection  of  Tamil  hymns  in  English  metre,  a  selection  of  chants, 
and  a  selection  of  "  Sacred  Lyrics,  or  Religious  Odes,  in  Tamil  Metre."  The 
selections  were  made  and  the  book  prepai-ed  for  the  press  by  a  member  of  the 
mission.  The  same  person  afterward  made  another  collection  of  IjTrics,  form- 
ing a  book  of  four  hundred  and  seventy-five  pages,  which  was  published  by 
the  society  mentioned  above. 

In  1854  the  mission  commenced  publishing  a  Quarterly,  in  the  Tamil  lan- 
guage, under  the  supervision  of  the  missionary  just  referred  to,  undertaken 
chiefly  to  furnish  native  assistants  and  other  Christians  with  the  means  of 
mental  improvement.  This  was  continued  four  or  five  years,  and  translations 
of  several  useful  works  on  science,  church  history,  &c.,  were  published  in  it, 
besides  much  original  matter.  Two  or  three  other  small  books,  and  a  few 
tracts,  prepared  by  members  of  the  mission,  have  also  been  published. 

PREACHING. 

Though  great  reliance  was  placed  upon  schools  in  the  first  years  of  the 
mission,  preaching  and  the  distribution  of  tracts  were  not  neglected.  Mr. 
Poor,  who  had  a  good  knowledge  of  the  Tamil  language  before  going  to  Ma- 
dura, was  accustomed  to  preach  daily,  in  school-houses  and  other  places  in 


36  THE   MADURA    MISSION. 

Madura  city.  Others  began  to  preach  in  the  vernacular  as  soon  as  they  were 
able ;  but  on  account  of  the  labors  demanded  by  the  numerous  schools,  the 
work  of  preaching  at  that  time  must  have  been  confined,  in  great  measure,  to 
the  villages  in  which  the  schools  were  located,  and  other  villages  in  the  imme- 
diate vicinity  of  the  mission  houses.  As  the  schools  began  to  diminish,  tours 
for  preaching  in  the  more  distant  villages  became  more  frequent.  "  Village 
congregations  "  sprung  up,  presenting  additional  inducements  for  laborers  in 
the  villages.  It  has  long  been  the  custom  of  most  missionaries  not  only  to 
preach,  when  at  home,  in  the  streets  and  lanes  of  the  villages  near,  but  to  make 
fi'equent  tours  for  carrying  the  gospel  to  villages  more  remote.  Much  labor 
of  this  kind  is  also  done  by  native  assistants. 

The  work  of  preaching  has  been  constantly  increasing  for  several  years  past. 
Excepting  one  or  two,  necessarily  employed  in  other  labors,  the  great  work  of 
all  the  members  of  the  mission  —  the  work  in  which  they  spend  parts  of  almost 
every  day  —  is  oral  preaching  in  the  language  of  the  people. 

ITINEKATING. 

The  subject  of  extending  the  gospel  message  to  the  more  remote  and  desti- 
tute parts  of  the  district  has  attracted  special  attention  during  the  last  three  or 
four  years.  After  careful  deliberation,  the  conclusion  was  reached,  that  not 
only  are  additional  men  needed  to  be  engaged  exclusively  in  itinerant  labors, 
but  that  those  already  on  the  ground  should  give  still  more  prominence  to  this 
kind  of  work ;  and  arrangements  have  been  made  for  the  regular  and  system- 
atic performance  of  such  labors  in  different  parts  of  the  district. 

The  following  is  from  the  report  of  the  mission  for  1863  :  "  A  plan  of 
itinerant  labors  was  drawn  up,  embracing  all  the  missionaries,  so  far  as  their 
circumstances  would  admit  of  their  engaging  in  the  work.  Two  missionaries, 
and  as  many  catechists  as  they  saw  fit  to  employ,  were  associated  together. 
The  tents  were  first  pitched  June  1,  and  labor  was  continued  till  August  21, 
when  the  sickness  of  one  and  the  medical  duties  of  another  caused  a  cessa- 
tion of  the  work ;  and  the  rains  coming  on  prevented  its  renewal  by  others 
who  had  arranged  to  take  it  up.  *  *  *  fhg  gospel  has  been  preached  in 
three  hundred  and  thirty-six  villages  and  hamlets,  to  audiences  which,  in  the 
aggregate,  have  amounted  to  twenty  thousand  persons ;  and  a  large  number 
of  tracts  and  Scripture  portions  have  been  left  behind,  to  continue  the  work 
begun.  This  has  been  done  in  a  region  where  there  had  been  before  little  or 
no  preaching  of  the  truth." 

The  work  of  this  kind  done  in  1864  was  much  more  than  that  of  the  pre- 
vious year,  and  it  was  commenced  again  in  January  of  the  present  year,  (1865.) 

DISTRIBUTION    OF    TRACTS. 

The  distribution  of  tracts  and  parts  of  the  Bible  has  been  practiced  from  the 
first.  They  have  been  given  to  persons  calling  for  them  at  the  mission  houses, 
and  to  those  met  in  the  highways  ;  have  been  carried  on  preaching  tours,  and 
to  fares  and  festivals,  both  by  missionaries  and  native  helpers,  and  distributed 
in  great  numbers,  care   being  always   taken   to   give   only  to   those  having 


VILLAGE  CONGREGATIONS.  37 

the  ability  and  expressing  a  wish  to  read  them.  The  practice  of  selling  has 
been  introduced,  to  some  extent,  within  a  few  years.  This  is  important,  both 
from  the  fact  that  a  person  paying  even  a  small  price  for  a  book,  will  be  the 
more  likely  to  value  it,  and  from  the  tendency  of  the  practice  to  form  the  habit 
among  the  people  of  depending  upon  themselves,  rather  than  expecting  that 
everything  will  be  done  for  them. 

VILLAGE  CONGREGATIONS. 

A  "  village  congregation  "  is  one  composed  of  several  persons  in  a  village,  or 
in  two  or  more  adjacent  villages,  who  have  embraced  Christianity,  and  are 
watched  over  and  instructed  by  a  catechist  or  teacher  in  the  employment  of 
the  mission.  Such  congregations  are  always  under  the  general  superintendence 
of  a  missionary.  When  the  head  of  a  family  belongs  to  a  congregation,  most  or 
all  of  its  members  usually  belong  to  it  also.  The  first  congregation  of  this  kind 
was  foi-med  in  the  mission  in  1843,  in  a  village  seventy-five  mUes  south  of  Din- 
digul,  where  a  man  of  influence  had  long  been  regai'ded  as  a  Christian,  and  thir- 
teen families,  embracing  sixty  or  seventy  individuals,  had  requested  Cluistian 
instruction.  Many  such  congregations  had  before  this  sprung  up  in  one  or 
two  of  the  neighboring  missions.  In  1846  the  number  of  congregations  in 
the  Madura  mission  had  increased  to  forty,  and  in  1850  there  were  seventy- 
one,  containing  twenty-four  hundred  and  seventy-one  people.  Five  years  later 
the  number  of  congregations  was  one  hundi-ed  and  twenty,  and  of  the  people 
connected  with  them,  five  thousand  and  ninety-one.  At  the  end  of  1863  there 
Mere  one  hundred  and  fifty-two  congregations,  which  contained  sixty-three 
hundred  and  ninety-one  people,  representing  more  than  twenty  difi"erent  castes, 
and  living  in  more  than  two  hundred  villages  and  hamlets.  Most  of  the  people 
were  originally  heathen,  but  a  lai-ge  number  were  Roman  Catholics.  Persons 
proposing  to  form  a  new  congregation,  or  to  unite  with  one  already  existing, 
have  ever  been  accustomed  to  profess  a  renunciation  of  their  former  religion, 
and  to  promise  to  observe  the  Sabbath,  attend  meetings  for  divine  worship, 
and  study  the  Word  of  God.  As  a  general  thing,  a  catechist  or  schoolmaster 
has  been  placed  in  each  congregation,  to  instruct  its  members  and  conduct 
meetings.  The  larger  and  more  important  congregations  have  often  had  the 
services  of  both  a  catechist  and  schoolmaster.  A  catechist  has  sometimes  had 
charge  of  more  than  one  congi'egation,  and  in  many  instances  the  same  man 
has  performed  the  duties  of  both  catechist  and  schoolmaster.  A  large  majority 
of  the  catechists  now  in  the  mission  have  charge  of  village  congi-egations, 
though  it  is  made  the  duty  of  each  to  labor  as  circumstances  will  permit,  to 
make  known  the  gospel  to  the  heathen.  Most  of  the  church  members  are  mem- 
bej-s  of  village  congregations.  Most  of  the  chui'ches  —  all  indeed  but  one  — 
now  under  the  care  of  native  pastors,  had  theii-  origin  in  such  congregations. 

The  increase  in  this  department  has  for  a  few  years  been  less  rapid  in 
respect  to  numbers  than  formerly.  For  this  there  are  several  reasons.  In 
the  earlier  stages  of  the  work,  the  people  often  had  mistaken  ideas  as  to  the 
advantages  to  be  derived  from  embracing  Christianity,  and  the  missionaries 
were  more  liable  than  now  to  misunderst£md  the  motives  by  which  people  were 
led  to  seek  Clu'istian  instruction.    Many  made  application  from  the  impression 


38  THE   MADURA    MISSION. 

that  the  relation  into  which  they  would  thus  be  brought  to  the  missionary, 
would  tend  to  free  them  from  oppression,  or  assist  them  in  some  case  of  liti- 
gation in  which  they  were  interested.  Some,  too,  in  the  hope  of  being  em- 
ployed as  teachers,  prevailed  upon  others  to  join  them  in  their  ajjplication. 
But  the  people  have  learned  that  the  missionary  has  the  ability  to  do  very 
little  to  shield  them  from  injustice  and  oppression,  and  that  the  great  object 
of  his  appearance  among  them  is  to  promote  their  spiritual  rather  than  their 
secular  interests.  They  have  learned,  too,  that  no  one  can  hope  for  employ- 
ment until  he  has  proved  himself  worthy. 

Again,  members  of  these  congregations  are  now  required  to  do  much  more 
for  themselves  than  formerly ;  and  this  has  doubtless  had  an  influence  upon 
the  rate  of  increase.  At  first  they  not  only  expected  the  mission  to  pay  their 
catechists  and  teachers,  but  to  build  school-houses  and  churches  for  them,  and 
keep  them  in  repair.  Now,  all  are  required  at  least  to  assist  in  the  erection 
of  necessary  buildings,  and  the  whole  expense  of  repairs  is  in  many  cases 
borne  by  the  people.  Those  who  enjoy  the  labors  of  a  native  pastor  are 
required  to  assist  in  his  support,  and  some  contribute  toward  the  support  of 
their  catechists. 

But  though  the  numerical  increase  is  slower  than  formerly,  there  are  some 
things  decidedly  favorable.  A  much  larger  proportion  than  formerly  are 
influenced,  in  coming,  by  a  knowledge  of  the  gospel,  and  a  conviction  of  its 
truth.  A  greater  proportion,  too,  are  men  of  intelligence  and  property,  and 
belong  to  the  middle  or  higher  castes.  Men  who  have  counted  the  cost  will 
be  likely  to  stand  firm  in  the  time  of  difficulty,  and  ultimately  to  exert  an 
influence. 

It  is  the  usual  custom  for  missionaries  having  village  congregations  under 
their  care,  to  visit  them  each  month,  or  as  often  as  other  duties  will  allow. 
"  confirming  the  souls  of  the  disciples,  and  exhorting  them  to  continue  in  the 
faith,  and  that  we  must  through  much  tribulation  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
God."  These  visits,  in  connection  with  which  many  opportunities  are  gener- 
ally enjoyed  for  addressing  the  heathen,  though  laborious,  often  serve  greatly 
to  strengthen  the  faith  of  the  missionary  and  to  refresh  his  spii-it.  None  of 
liis  labors  are  more  interesting,  none  more  important. 


NATIVE  CHTJRCII. 

In  one  of  their  late  reports,  the  missionaries  say,  "  It  is  one  of  the  princi- 
ples of  the  mission  to  organize  local  churches  as  soon  as  congregations  have 
become  firmly  established,  and  persons  of  approved  piety  have  so  far  increased 
An  numbers  and  intelligence  as  to  make  such  an  organization  possible  and  use- 
»ful.  It  is,  further,  the  aim  of  the  mission  to  place  such  churches  in  the  hands 
of  native  pastors,  as  rapidly  as  men  judged  suitable,  according  to  the  apostolic 
direction,  can  be  found  to  take  the  office." 

The  first  church  organized  in  the  mission  was  at  Madura,  in  October,  1836. 
It  contained  nine  members,  who  had  all  been  members  of  churches  in  Ceylon, 
and  had  come  to  Madura  to  be  employed  as  catechists  and  teachers.  A  church 
was  formed  at  Dindigul  in  1837,  and  at  each  of  the  other  stations  soon  after 
they  were  occupied.     But  they  were  composed  almost  wholly  of  native  assist- 


THE   ACTION   ON   CASTE.  39 

anta,  and  persons  belonging  to  their  families  who  came  from  Ceylon,  Tanjore, 
and  other  places  without  the  district.  For  several  years  a  large  majority  of 
the  church  members  were  of  this  class.  In  September,  1839,  a  church  was 
organized  at  Tirumangalam,  and  a  native  convert  received  to  it  on  profession. 
In  1840  there  were  twelve  additions  to  the  four  churches,  making  the  whole 
number  of  members,  exclusive  of  native  helpers,  fifteen,  of  whom  all  but -one 
were  males. 

In  February,  1841,  a  church  was  formed  at  Sivagunga,  with  twelve  mem- 
bers, three  of  whom  were  admitted  on  profession  of  their  faith.  One  was  a 
teacher  of  a  free  school.  The  same  year,  three  boys  in  the  boarding  school  at 
Tirumangalam  were  admitted  to  the  church,  and  five  adults,  all  heads  of  fam- 
ilies, were  received  at  Dindigul.  In  1844  forty-three  were  added  to  the  difler- 
ent  churches,  on  profession  — a  greater  number  than  had  been  thus  received 
during  all  the  previous  years.  In  1845,  all  the  churches  but  one  received 
additions,  the  whole  number  admitted  on  profession  being  twenty-four. 

THK  ACTION   ON   CASTE. 

Allusion  was  made,  when  speaking  of  the  seminary,  to  action  taken  by  the 
mission,  in  1847,  on  the  subject  of  caste.  The  nature  of  that  action,  in  its 
application  to  native  helpers  and  other  church  members,  and  also  the  reasons 
for  it,  are  explained  in  the  following  quotation  from  a  report  of  the  mission 
on  this  subject.  "  At  first  it  was  deemed  sufficient  evidence  that  converts 
had  renounced  caste,  when  they  were  willing  to  come  out  from  among  their 
friends,  join  themselves  with  foreigners,  attend  church,  sit  down  by  the  side 
of  persons  of  a  lower  caste,  go  to  the  communion  table  and  partake  of  bread 
from  the  same  plate  and  wine  from  the  same  cup.  But  after  a  time  Christians 
could  do  all  this  without  losing  their  caste,  or  being  at  all  reproached  for  it  by 
the  heathen.  What  was  at  fii-st  a  test  became  no  test  at  all.  High  caste 
Christians  would  do  all  tliis,  and  more,  without  the  least  hesitation,  or  a 
thought  of  renouncing  their  caste.  They  did  this  while  in  the  social  relations 
of  life  caste  distinctions  were  scrupulously  observed.  Even  Christians  would 
sooner  go  hungry  than  eat  food  cooked  by  a  person  of  lower  caste.  Another 
test  was  therefore  necessary."  It  was  on  this  account  that  the  following  reso- 
lutions were  adopted  in  July,  1847,  viz. :  — 

"  That  the  mission  regard  caste  as  an  essential  part  of  Hindooism,  and  its 
full  and  j,ractical  renunciation,  after  proper  instruction,  as  essential  to  satis- 
factory evidence  of  piety ;  and  that  renunciation  of  caste  implies  at  least  a 
readiness  to  eat,  under  proper  circumstances,  with  Christians  of  any  caste,  and 
to  treat  them,  in  respect  to  hospitality  and  other  acts  of  kindness,  as  if  there 
had  never  been  any  distinctions  of  caste. 

"  That  we  consider  it  to  be  the  duty  of  all  those  who  are  members  of  our 
churches,  after  receiving  proper  instruction,  to  give  us  some  satisfactory  test 
of  their  having  forsaken  the  evil,  before  we  can,  thereafter,  administer  the 
sacrament  to  them. 

"  That  we  will  not  hereafter  receive  into  our  service,  as  catechist,  any  one 
who  does  not  give  evidence  of  having  renounced  caste." 


40  THE   MADURA   MISSION. 

A  large  number  of  church  members,  including  many  catechists,  refused  to 
comply  with  the  wishes  of  the  mission,  and  were  suspended  from  the  church. 
But  with  the  exception  of  nearly  aU  the  catechists  from  abroad,  who  left  the 
mission,  most  of  the  suspended  members  subsequently  complied,  and  were 
restored. 

CHURCHES  IN  VILLAGES  —  NATIVE  PASTOES. 

In  1849  a  church  was  organized  in  Mankulam,  a  village  twelve  miles  from 
Madura.     This  was  the  first  church  established  away  from  a  station  centre. 

In  March,  1855,  a  church  of  eighteen  members  was  formed  in  Mallankinaru, 
connected  with  the  Tirumangalam  station,  and  a  native  pastor  ordained  over 
it.  Drs.  Anderson  and  Thompson,  then  in  India  as  a  deputation  from  the 
Prudential  Committee  of  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign 
Missions,  were  present,  and  took  part  in  the  exercises.  This  was  the  first 
ordination  of  a  native  pastor,  not  only  in  Madura,  but  in  any  of  the  American 
missions  among  the  Tamil  people.  Five  churches  were  organized  the  same 
year,  in  villages  of  the  Mandapasalie  station,  and  nine  the  following  year,  in 
villages  of  the  different  stations.  The  number  of  churches  now  in  the  mission 
is  twenty-nine,  of  which  eighteen  are  in  the  villages,  and  eight  under  the  care 
of  native  pastors. 

In  their  report  for  1863  the  mission  said,  "  All  the  churches  work  har- 
moniously with  their  pastors,  and,  with  one  or  two  exceptions,  much  to  be 
regretted,  the  church  members,  as  a  body,  are  harmonious  among  themselves. 
"WTaile  we  see  deficiencies  and  imperfections,  as  a  general  thing  it  may  be  said, 
that  our  native  churches  and  pastors  are  our  hope  and  our  crown  of  rejoicing. 
The  number  of  church  members  at  the  close  of  the  year,  under  the  care  of  the 
native  pastorate,  is  three  hundred  and  forty-three,  or,  on  an  average,  forty- 
three  members  to  a  church." 

The  whole  number  received  to  the  church  on  profession,  from  the  commence- 
ment of  the  mission  to  the  end  of  1864,  is  sixteen  hundred  and  twenty-six, 
nearly  four  fifths  of  whom  have  been  received  since  the  year  1850.  In  1853 
one  hundred  and  twenty-two  persons  were  thus  added,  in  1854  one  hundred 
and  thirty-five,  in  1855  one  hundred  and  forty-four,  and  in  1856  one  hundred 
and  seventy-one.  This  is  the  largest  number  ever  added  in  a  single  year. 
About  two  hundred  church  members  have  died  in  the  hope  of  salvation,  and 
one  hundred  and  one  have  been  excommunicated.  Some  have  left  the  dis- 
trict; and  at  the  end  of  1864  there  were  eleven  hundi-ed  and  seventy-three 
resident  members  in  good  standing. 

Upwards  of  thirteen  hundred  children  have  been  baptized,  and  more  than 
five  hundred  Chiistiau  marriages  have  been  solemnized. 

NATIVE   ASSISTANTS. 

The  first  natives  employed  in  the  mission  were  graduates  of  the  Batticotta 
Seminary  in  Ceylon.  Others  were  introduced  from  Tanjore  a  little  later,  and 
a  few  from  Tinnevelly.  Most  of  these  left  the  mission,  as  before  stated,  soon 
after  its  action  on  the  subject  of  caste,  in  1847,  or  before  that  time.  A  great 
majority  of  those  now  employed  have  been  raised  up  within  the  limits  of  the 


NATIVE  CONTRIBUTIONS.  41 

mission.  Some  have  pursued  a  regular  course  of  study  in  the  seminary,  and 
others  a  partial  course.  Some,  employed  first  as  schoolmasters,  having  pre- 
viously had  few  advantages  for  education,  received  private  instruction,  and 
became  readers  or  catechists.  Not  a  few  of  this  class  have,  in  late  years, 
enjoyed  the  advantages  of  the  seminary  for  one  year. 

Nine  native  pastors  have  been  ordained,  one  of  whom  has  been  dismissed  at 
bis  own  request,  that  he  might  remove  to  Madras. 

The  following  list  comprises  the  whole  number  of  natives  employed  at  the 
close  of  1863 :  Native  pastors,  eight ;  catechists,  ninety-two ;  readers,  whose 
duties  are  similar  to  those  of  catechists,  seventeen ;  teachers  in  the  seminary 
and  female  boarding  school,  seven ;  schoolmasters,  fifty-two ;  schoolmistresses, 
nine.     Total,  one  hundred  and  eighty-five. 

In  1851  systematic  arrangements  were  made  by  the  mission  for  the  improve- 
ment of  the  natives  employed,  which,  with  some  modifications,  have  continued 
till  the  present  time.  According  to  tliis  plan,  the  helpers  are  brought  to- 
gether from  all  the  stations  once  a  year,  for  a  meeting  of  three  or  four  days, 
attended  by  all  the  missionaries.  A  sermon  is  always  preached  by  a  mission- 
ary, and  the  Lord's  supper  administered;  and  considerable  time  is  spent 
each  day  in  devotional  exercises.  Essays  aie  read  by  natives,  and  addresses 
delivered  by  both  natives  and  missionaries,  on  subjects  of  practical  interest, 
previously  given  out.  The  helpers  are  also  examined  upon  subjects  previously 
assigned  them  for  investigation  and  study.  Once  a  year  a  meeting  is  held  for 
similar  purposes,  in  three  or  four  difierent  localities,  by  the  missionaries  and 
native  agents  of  stations  adjacent  to  each  other,  while  each  missionary  holds  a 
monthly,  and  in  some  instances  a  weekly  meeting  with  the  helpers  under  his 
particular  superintendence,  during  which  some  time  is  devoted  to  their  instruc- 
tion. These  meetings  require  much  expenditure  of  time  and  strength ;  but  con- 
sidering their  influence  upon  the  natives,  the  number  of  persons  employed,  and 
the  importance  of  this  agency,  the  labor  could  not  be  more  wisely  bestowed. 

NATIVE  CONTRIBUTIONS. 

As  the  number  of  Christians  increased,  the  duty  of  contributing  to  the  sup- 
port of  the  gospel  was  urged  upon  them.  From  an  imperfect  understanding 
of  their  duty,  and  the  poverty  of  many,  the  amount  given  was  for  some  time 
very  small,  and  is  not  large  now ;  but  the  increase  has  been  such  as  to  afford 
encouragement.  The  sums  mentioned  below  do  not  include  the  amount 
expended  by  Christians,  in  labor  and  money,  upon  theii-  chuixh  buildings  and 
school-houses. 

In  1844  the  amount  given  was  sixty  rupees,  (a  rupee  is  about  half  a  dollar.) 
In  1850  two  hundred  and  twelve  rupees  were  contributed,  and  in  1853  eight 
hundred  and  thirty-six  rupees,  eleven  annas,  and  five  pice.  The  amount  given 
in  1860  was  a  fraction  less  than  eleven  hundred  and  twelve  rupees,  and  in  1863 
it  was  sixteen  hundred  and  four  rupees. 

A  part  of  the  sum  contributed  in  1860  was  intended  as  a  "jubilee  offering," 
toward  which  a  former  graduate  of  the  seminary  gave  one  hundred  and  twen- 
ty rupees,  another  thirty,  and  one  man  gave  a  cow. 

In  1853  the  "  Madura  Native  Evangelical  Society  "  was  formed,  the  object 
6 


42  THE  MADURA    MISSION. 

of  which  was,  at  first,  to  support  catechists  and  teachers  in  thoTOore  destitute 
parts  of  the  Madura  district.  Since  the  ordination  of  native  pastors,  the  soci- 
ety has  devoted  its  income  to  the  assistance  of  churches  in  their  support.  It  is 
virtually  a  Home  Missionary  Society,  and  is  accomplishing  great  good  ;  not  so 
much,  however,  at  present,  from  the  amount  of  money  raised,  as  from  its  influ- 
ence in  awakening  among  the  people  a  disposition  to  contribute  to  the  support 
of  their  own  Christian  institutions.  The  annual  income  of  this  society  is 
included  in  the  sums  mentioned  above. 

A  great  increase  in  the  spirit  of  benevolence  was  experienced  in  1861.  This 
was  particularly  manifest  during  the  meeting  held  simultaneously  with  the 
annual  meeting  of  the  American  Board.  A  meeting  appointed  for  prayer,  one 
morning,  was  continued  nearly  four  hours.  In  the  words  of  the  mission  report 
for  that  year,  "  Many  rose,  one  after  another,  each  speaking  a  few  earnest 
words,  and  laying  down  his  offering.  The  giving  was  frequently  interrupted 
by  prayers.  Some  gave  jewelry,  some  articles  of  clothing,  and  some  pledged 
cattle,  sheep,  or  fowls."  About  three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  were  given  and 
pledged  at  this  meeting,  and  at  a  meeting  held  a  day  or  two  later,  the  sum  was 
raised  to  five  hundred  dollars.  A  similar  spirit  was  afterward  manifested  in 
some  of  the  villages. 

REVIVALS   OF  RELIGION. 

Revivals  —  using  the  word  in  the  sense  in  which  it  is  generally  understood  in 
America  —  have  not  been  often  witnessed  in  Madura ;  but  seasons  of  unusual 
spii-itual  interest  have  been  frequently  enjoyed,  especially  in  the  seminary  and 
female  boarding  school. 

The  week  of  prayer  has  been  annually  observed  since  it  was  first  proposed 
by  the  missionaries  of  Lodiana.  For  several  years,  additions  have  been  made 
yearly  to  most  of  the  churches  in  the  mission.  It  has  more  than  once  occurred, 
that  almost  all  the  students  of  the  seminary  at  a  given  time  wei"e  members  of 
the  church. 

In  1S60  an  interesting  work  of  grace  was  enjoyed  at  some  of  the  stations  in 
Tinnevelly,  particularly  at  the  station  nearest  to  Madura.  Early  in  1861,  marks 
of  a  similar  work  began  to  appear  at  Mallankinaru,  a  village  of  the  Tiruman- 
galam  station,  in  our  own  mission.  Several  persons  were  deeply  distressed,  at 
times,  on  account  of  their  sins.  Divisions  in  the  church  were  healed,  and 
church  members  became  more  prayerful  and  active.  These  manifestations 
continued  for  several  months,  and  in  addition  to  the  results  just  mentioned, 
eight  or  ten  individuals  were  hopefully  converted,  and  professed  their  faith  in 
Christ  by  uniting  with  his  church.  A  little  later  in  the  year,  similar  seasons 
were  enjoyed  in  the  seminary,  in  several  of  the  congregations  of  the  Kambam 
valley,  and  in  a  few  other  places. 

Of  the  work  in  the  seminary,  the  principal  spoke  as  follows,  in  his  report  for 
that  year :  "  During  the  early  part  of  the  year,  the  religious  condition  of  the 
seminary  was  very  unsatisfactory,  and  caused  me  much  anxiety.  A  few  seemed 
to  desire  a  better  state  of  things,  and  were  praying  that  God  would  pour  out 
his  Spirit.  The  week  of  prayer  in  January  had  been  observed,  but  with  less 
apparent  interest  than  the  year  before  ;  and  altogether  the  prospect  of  a  bless- 
ing from  on  high  was  very  dark.     This  state  of  things  continued  till  within 


STATISTICS   OF   THE  MISSION. 


43 


four  days  of  the  close  of  the  term  in  March,  when,  on  the  evening  of  the  Sab- 
bath, the  Lord  was  pleased  to  pour  out  his  Spirit  in  a  most  remarkable  manner. 
One  of  the  smaller  boys  Avas  brought  to  me,  in  deep  distress  on  account  of  his 
sins,  and  in  an  hour  from  that  time  four  fifths  of  the  students,  including  many 
who  were  members  of  the  church,  were  in  great  agony  from  a  sense  of  their 
sinfulness.  This  state  of  feeling  continued  during  the  remaining  days  of  the 
term ;  some,  from  time  to  time,  finding  peace  in  an  assurance  of  pardoning 
mercy,  while  others  were  cast  down  with  a  sense  of  their  guilt  and  ingratitude 
to  the  Saviour.  All  ordinary  study  was  necessarily  suspended,  and  the  time 
was  spent  in  religious  exercises  and  in  imparting  such  instruction  as  was  suited 
to  their  peculiar  circumstances.  Subsequent  experience  has  left  no  room  to 
doubt  that  the  work  was  of  the  Lord." 

The  following  table  presents  some  of  the  more  important  statistics  of  the 
mission  at  the  end  of  the  year  1864 :  — 


"S 

a 

•a 

a 

ja 

o 

3 

p 

a  a 

<0  m 

boo 

—  .2 

ii 

STATIONS. 

a 
o 

p 

,s 

o 
d 

mT3 

1.  a 

MS 

3 

O  be 

d§ 

si 

0  bo 

g 

a 

o 

a 

a 
u> 

2 

'3 

o 

■'■a 

Madura, 

1834 

2 

148 

202 

19 

181 

165 

241 

587 

538 

Dindigul,     .     . 

183G 

2 

77 

167 

12 

144 

107 

200 

451 

331 

Sivagunga,  .     . 

1837 

1 

15 

80 

2 

12 

15 

26 

53 

28 

Tirumangalam, 

1837 

2 

138 

154 

15 

265 

225 

309 

799 

490 

Tirupuvanam,  . 

1837 

9 

10 

4 

19 

21 

43 

83 

65 

Pasumalie,  .     . 

1845 

59 

160 

1 

30 

6 

24 

60 

112 

Periaculam, 

1848 

40 

16 

6 

77 

86 

159 

322 

151 

Mandapasahe,  . 

1850 

362 

522 

44 

552 

524 

719 

1795 

959 

Usulampatty,   . 

1856 

k     — 

— 

6 

41 

32 

49 

122 

88 

Battalagundu,  . 

1856 

104 

73 

10 

98 

110 

176 

384 

174 

Malur,     .     .     . 

1856 

25 

21 

8 

49 

64 

116 

229 

118 

Pulney,  .     .     . 

1858 

39 

35 

6 

71 

53 

99 

223 

138 

Mana  Madura, . 

1858 

11 

— 

2 

14 

12 

17 

43 

35 

Kambam,     .     . 

1862 

6 

146 

186 

19 

335 

346 

542 

1223 

565 

31 

1173 

1626 

154 

1888 

1766 

2720 

6374 

3792 

I  may  be  permitted  to  close  this  sketch  with  the  exhortation,  "Finally, 
brethren,  pray  for  us,  that  the  word  of  the  Lord  may  have  free  course  and  be 
glorified,  even  as  it  is  with  you." 


SKETCH  OF  THE  MADRAS  MISSION. 


The  Madras  mission  was  commenced  in  August,  1836,  by  Rev.  Miron 
Winslow,  who  was  joined,  the  following  month,  by  Rev.  John  Scudder,  M.  D. 
Both  Mr.  Winslow  and  Dr.  Scudder  had  been  members  of  the  Ceylon  missioa 
between  sixteen  and  seventeen  years. 

Mr.  Winslow  visited  America  in  1855,  and  returned  in  1858.  He  left 
again  in  August,  1864,  on  account  of  ill  health,  and  died  at  Cape  Town,  South 
Africa,  October  22,  two  days  after  reaching  that  place. 

Dr.  Scudder  left  for  America  in  April,  1842,  with  the  hope  of  improving 
his  impaired  health.  He  returned  to  India  early  in  1847,  spent  two  years  in 
the  Madura  mission,  and  resumed  his  labors  in  Madras  in  March,  1849.  He 
left  again  for  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  on  account  of  ill  health,  in  August,  1854, 
and  died  the  following  January. 

Mr.  P.  R.  Hunt,  who  went  out  as  printer,  reached  Madras  in  March,  1840, 
and  is  still  a  member  of  the  mission. 

Rev.  Samuel  Hutchings  joined  this  mission,  from  Ceylon,  in  April,  1842,  and 
left  for  America,  on  account  of  ill  health,  in  October,  1843. 

Rev.  F.  D.  W.  Ward  was  transferred  to  Madras  from  Madura  early  in  1843, 
and  left  for  America  in  January,  1846. 

Rev.  H.  M.  Scudder  became  a  member  of  this  mission  in  September,  1844, 
and  removed  to  Arcot  in  1851. 

Rev.  J.  W.  Dulles  arrived  in  Madras  in  March,  1849,  but  was  constrained, 
by  the  state  of  his  own  health  and  that  of  Mrs.  Dulles,  to  return  to  America 
in  1852. 

Rev.  J.  N.  Hurd  labored  in  this  mission  from  July,  1852,  until  1858. 

THE   PRESS. 

The  mission  was  established  "  for  the  especial  purpose  of  printing  the 
Scriptures  and  religious  tracts  in  the  Tamil  language."  As  a  printing  press 
could  not  at  once  be  sent  from  this  country,  "  the  church  mission  i)ress  was 
bought,  in  1838,  and  from  time  to  time  enlarged,  until  it  reached  a  state  of 
great  efficiency  for  printing,  type  founding,  and  binding."  The  establishment 
has  not  been  restricted,  as  was  at  first  designed,  to  *'  printing  the  Scriptures 
and  religious  tracts  in  the  Tamil  language  ;  "  but,  as  is  said  in  a  recent  report, 
it  is  now  "  principally  occupied  in  printing  and  binding  the  Scriptures,  school 
books,  tracts,  and  other  religious  and  educational  works  in  Tamil,  Telugu,  and 
Hindustani." 

A  vast  amount  has  been  done  in  this  line,  though  the  printing  and  binding 
of  books  is  by  no  means  all  that  has  been  accomplished.     From  a  report,  pub- 

(44) 


OTHER  LABORS.  45 

Hshed  by  the  mission  in  1864,  it  appears  that  four  Imndred  and  twenty  millions 
of  pages  have  been  printed,  more  than  half  of  which  were  of  the  sacred  Scrip- 
tures. For  the  purpose  of  making  the  press  as  far  as  possible  self-supporting, 
job  work,  not  inconsistent  with  its  objects,  has  at  times  been  received.  One 
of  the  works  published  is  the  large  Dictionary,  upon  which  Dr.  Winslow 
expended  much  of  his  time  and  strength  for  many  years.  After  some  delay, 
from  want  of  funds,  this  work  was  completed  in  August,  1862.  It  is  a  Tamil 
and  English  Dictionary  of  the  High  and  Low  Tamil,  having  nine  hundred  and 
seventy-six  quarto  pages,  with  three  columns  on  a  page,  and  contains  sixty- 
seven  thousand  words,  or  thirty  thousand  more  than  any  similar  work.  It  has 
been  highly  commended,  both  by  the  press  and  by  individuals,  and  is  of  special 
value  to  missionaries  among  the  Tamil  people,  to  whom  it  was  dedicated  by 
the  author.  In  a  communication  addressed  to  Dr.  Winslow  by  the  Madras 
Missionary  Conference,  just  before  he  left  India,  they  say,  among  other  things, 
"  We  can  not  let  this  opportunity  pass  without  acknowledging,  also,  the  great 
debt  of  gratitude  we,  as  Tamil  missionaries,  owe  you,  for  the  excellent  and 
elaborate  Dictionary  of  the  Tamil  Language  which  it  has  been  one  of  the  labors 
of  your  life  to  compile." 

But  the  character  and  large  number  of  books  that  have  issued  from  the 
American  mission  press  at  Madras  do  not  indicate  the  whole  value  of  its  ser- 
vices. It  has  made  great  improvement  in  the  typography  of  the  Tamil,  and 
some  other  languages  of  Southern  India.  The  cummittee  of  the  Madi-as 
Auxiliary  Bible  Society,  in  a  late  report,  spoke  thus  upon  this  point :  "  Your 
committee  desire  to  bear  testimony  to  the  important  services  rendered  by  the 
American  mission  press  to  the  cause  of  Bible  ciixulation,  in  the  improvement 
it  has  effected  in  the  tj-pography  of  the  vernacular  Scriptures  —  a  result  entirely 
attributable  to  the  exertions  of  Mr.  Hunt,  its  zealous  and  indefatigable  super- 
intendent." 

A  few  years  jince,  a  valuable  gold  watch  and  chain  were  presented  to  Mr. 
Hunt,  by  native  Chiistians  and  missionaries  of  different  denominations,  as  an 
acknowledgment  of  the  important  work  done  by  him  in  improving  the  print- 
ing of  the  Tamil  language.  In  the  accompanying  addi-ess  the  following  lan- 
guage was  used  :  "  Every  person  who  feels  an  interest  in  Tamil  literature,  in  the 
well-being  of  the  Tamil  people,  or  in  the  progress  of  Christian  enlightenment 
and  civilization  in  a  heathen  land,  must  entertain  a  deep  sense  of  the  benefits 
which  have  been  conferred  upon  the  native  community  of  Southern  India,  by 
the  elegant  editions  of  Tamil  classical  and  grammatical  works  which  have  pro- 
ceeded from  your  press,  and  which  may  be  said  to  have  raised  printing  to  a 
place  among  the  fine  arts ;  and  especially  by  your  clear,  correct,  and  beautiful 
editions  of  the  Tamil  Bible,  —  each  edition  excelling  the  previous  one,  —  which 
have  called  forth  the  admiration  and  merited  the  gratitude  of  all  native 
Christians." 

OTHER    LABORS. 

While  the  Madras  mission  has  done  so  much  by  means  of  the  press,  it  has 
also  done  much  more.  During  most  of  the  time  he  lived  in  Madras,  Dr. 
Winslow  was  an  active  member  of  a  Committee  of  the  Madras  Auxiliary  Bible 
Society,  whose  duties  were  of  high  importance,  and  demanded  much  time  and 


46  THE  MADRAS  MISSION. 

careful  study.  Mr.  Hunt  has  for  a  long  time  been  agent  in  financial  matters, 
as  Dr.  Winslow  previously  was,  for  all  the  Tamil  missions  of  the  Board,  trans- 
acting for  them  much  important  business.  The  assistance  rendered  to  new 
missionaries  on  their  amval  in  that  strange  country,  and  to  others  Mhen 
obliged  to  leave,  has  been  of  the  greatest  value.  Many  who  are  now,  or  have 
been  missionaries  in  India  and  Ceylon,  will  ever  remember,  with  sincere  grati- 
tude, aid  received  from  these  mission  families  at  Madras. 

The  mission  has  also  done  not  a  little  in  the  woi'k  of  education  among  the 
natives.  From  ten  to  fifteen  vernacular  schools  for  boys  and  girls,  and  one 
or  two  exclusively  for  females,  have  been  in  operation  most  of  the  time.  In 
addition  to  these,  an  English  high  school  was  supported  for  sixteen  years, 
much  of  the  expense  being  borne  by  English  residents.  This  school  was 
brought  to  a  close  in  1861,  (on  account  of  the  war.)  when  Dr.  Winslow  made 
the  following  remarks  respecting  it :  "  It  has  just  passed  its  fifteenth  examina- 
tion. There  were  two  hundred  pupils  of  all  classes,  including  many  Brahmins. 
The  school  has  done  good.  Several,  by  its  agency,  have  been  turned  from 
dumb  idols  to  serve  the  living  God,  and  large  numbers  have  been  fitted  for 
usefulness,  and  prepared  to  take  respectable  positions.  Several  are  teaching 
in  connection  with  government,  or  in  various  private  schools,  and  five  or  six 
are  in  mission  service  as  catechists  or  preachers."  A  report,  published  in 
1864,  says  of  this  and  other  schools,  "  There  have  been  several  hopeful  conver- 
sions of  pupils  while  at  school,  and  of  others  after  leaving ;  in  some  instances 
when  they  were  far  away  from  the  place  where  they  were  taught.  The  con- 
verts from  the  English  high  school,  and  vernacular  schools  for  boys  and  girls, 
can  not  be  less  than  eighteen  or  twenty  in  all,  and  though  this  is  a  small  num- 
ber, it  is  a  great  reward  for  the  efi'orts  made." 

The  preaching  of  the  gospel  has  held  a  prominent  place  in  the  operations  of 
this  mission.  Almost  the  whole  time  of  Dr.  Scudder,  while  living  in  Madras, 
was  given  to  preaching  and  the  distribution  of  tracts  and  books,  both  in  the 
city  and  the  surrounding  country.  For  some  time,  he  and  his  son,  Rev.  H.  M. 
Scudder,  made  this  their  daily  business,  preaching  regularly  morning  and  even- 
ing, in  different  places  of  concourse,  in  the  streets  of  Madras,  and  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  city.  Mr.  Hunt,  also,  in  addition  to  his  work  in  connection  with 
the  press,  has  labored  much  among  the  people,  with  native  assistants,  holding 
meetings  regularly  on  the  Sabbath  and  the  evenings  of  other  days,  in  several 
places  in  the  vicinity  of  his  residence.  Dr.  Winslow  was  accustomed  to  preach 
to  a  large  audience  every  Sabbath  morning,  and  to  preach  or  conduct  a  Sab- 
bath school  in  the  afternoon.  The  English  high  school  under  his  care  was 
opened  with  reading  the  Scriptures  and  prayer  each  morning,  and  religious 
meetings  were  held  during  the  week. 

A  native  church  was  early  established,  and  since  its  organization  about  one 
hundred  and  eighty  persons  have  been  admitted  to  it,  and  one  hundred  children 
have  been  baptized.  In  a  late  report,  Dr.  AVinslow  said,  '  All  our  baptized 
children,  on  coming  to  years  of  discretion,  have  cast  in  their  lot  with  the 
people  of  God.     None  have  turned  back  to  heathenism." 


PROGRESS   OP  MISSIONS   IN   INDIA.  47 


PROGRESS  OF   xMISSIONS   IN  INDIA. 

The  Annual  Report  of  the  (English)  Church  Missionary  Society  for  1862-3, 
at  the  close  of  its  review  of  the  missions  of  that  Society  in  India,  not  including 
Ceylon,  presents  the  following  "  general  view  of  the  progress  and  success  of 
Protestant  Christian  missions  "  in  that  land  :  — 

"  Ten  years  ago,  tables  were  published  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Mullens,  a  mission- 
ary in  Calcutta,  of  the  London  Missionary  Society,  exhibiting  the  statistics  of 
all  the  Protestant  Missionary  Societies  in  India.  Similar  returns  have  been 
published  this  year,  thus  exhibiting  the  progress  of  missions  during  the  last 
ten  years.  The  enemies  of  Protestant  missions  have  lately  attempted  to  dis- 
credit their  success,  by  presenting  a  collection  of  the  many  partial  disappoint- 
ments and  failures  inseparable  from  every  great  conflict  between  good  and 
evil.  The  Committee  regard  Dr.  Mullens'  published  '  Statistical  Tables  of 
Missions '  as  an  incontrovertible  and  sufficient  answer  to  the  alleged  failure. 
These  tables  contain  the  name  of  every  Protestant  missionary  in  India,  where 
he  labors,  and  what  is  his  work,  with  true  Protestant  fidelity  and  distinctness. 
Taking  the  statistics  of  the  three  Presidencies  of  India,  we  find,  that  besides 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  listeners  to  the  gospel  message,  there  were,  ten  years 
ago,  ninety-four  thousand  one  hundred  and  forty-five  registered  Christians, 
and  that  there  are  now  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  thousand  five  hundred 
and  forty-three.  The  addition  of  forty-four  thousand  four  hundred  registered 
native  Christians  in  ten  years  may  seem  to  some  sanguine  friends  a  small  visi- 
ble result, amidst  the  millions  of  heathen  and  Mohammedans  in  India;  but  those 
who  take  their  estimate  from  apostolic  times,  and  from  the  Lord's  parable 
comparing  the  kingdom  of  God  to  a  mustard-seed  cast  into  the  ground,  will 
thank  God  for  this  result,  and  take  courage.  They  will  perceive,  moreover, 
from  these  tables,  that  if  the  gospel  plant  has  not  yet  shot  up  so  high  as  to 
attract  the  world's  attention,  it  has,  nevertheless,  spread  wide  and  struck  deep  ; 
for  whereas,  ten  years  ago,  there  were  twenty-two  Societies  laboring  to  evan- 
gelize India,  there  are  now  thirty-one,  and  the  witness  for  the  truth  has  been, 
thus  far,  more  widely  spread.  The  work  also  has  deepened.  "Whereas,  ten 
years  ago,  the  converts  were  mostly  scattered  listeners,  and  only  three  hun- 
dred and  thirty-one  congregations  of  native  converts  meeting  together  regu- 
larly for  Christian  worsliip  could  be  counted,  there  are  now  one  thousand  one 
hundred  and  ninety ;  and  these  congregations  contribute  annually,  out  of  their 
slender  means,  between  forty  thousand  and  fifty  thousand  rupees  —  that  is, 
between  four  thousand  and  five  thousand  pounds  sterling  —  for  the  support  of 
their  native  ministrations,  and  for  the  relief  of  their  own  poor :  whereas  there 
were  only  thirty  natives  ordained  to  the  Christian  ministry,  there  are  now 
ninety-eight :  whereas  there  Mere  eighteen  thousand  four  hundred  and  ten 
communicants,  these  have  risen  in  ten  years  to  thirty-one  thousand  two  hun- 
dred and  forty-nine.     Here  are  sure  and  blessed  marks  of  a  deepening  work. 

"  The  proof  of  success  docs  not,  however,  rest  merely  upon  the  reports  and 

(47) 


48 


PROGRESS  OP  MISSIONS  IN  INDIA. 


statistics  furnished  by  missionaries.  Men  of  the  highest  authority  and  position 
in  India,  who  dwell  among  the  people,  and  who  are  responsible  for  their  social 
prosperity  and  for  public  order,  frequently  come  forward  to  bear  their  public 
testimony  to  the  beneficial  influences  of  missionary  labor  upon  the  well-being 
of  India.  Such  men  testify,  also,  their  high  appreciation  of  missions,  by  their 
large  pecuniary  contributions  to  the  cause. 

"  The  Statistical  Tables  of  Dr.  Mullens  show  that  about  fifty  thousand  pounds 
sterling  (two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars)  are  actually  contributed  by 
Europeans  in  India  to  the  different  Missionary  Societies  carrying  on  their 
operations  in  that  country.  Let  it  be  borne  in  mind,  that  these  fifty  thousand 
pounds  sterling  a  year  are  contributed  out  of  their  official  incomes,  in  the  midst 
of  their  official  labors,  by  men  who  are  looking  forward  to  their  return  to 
England  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  thek  savings ;  and  the  fact  of  such  an  amount 
of  contributions,  under  such  circumstances,  will  appear  to  be  equally  honorable 
to  the  men,  and  decisive  of  the  reality  and  hopefulness  of  the  blessed  work  for 
which  they  make  such  sacrifices." 

The  Friend  of  India  presented  a  synopsis  of  the  informatian  collected  by 
Dr.  Mullens,  respecting  missions  in  India,  Burmah,  and  Ceylon,  a  part  of 
which  will  be  given  here.  The  tables  were  recast  "  to,  obtain  comparative 
results,"  and  to  present  a  view  of  the  "  progress  in  each  Presidency  and 
Province."  The  progress,  however,  it  will  be  seen,  is  not  brought  to  view  in 
Burmah,  as  the  statistics  of  missions  there,  in  1851,  are  not  given. 


Bengal 

N.W. Provinces 
ond  Punjab, 

Bombay  

Madroa 

Burmah  

Ceylon 


1 

■■5§ 

4 

5 

1861 

1881 

1851 

1861 

103 

113 

130 

206 

^6G 

119 

49 

129 

35 

40 

16 

63 

179 

210 

405 

973 

- 

22 

- 

454 

60 

37 

98 

144 

443 

541 

698 

1959 

»£ 


1851       1861 

14,778     20,774 

2,a32      5,301 

744      2,231 

76,691   110,237 

69,366 


18,046 


15,273 


3,600 
678 


10,662 
3,281 


4,719 
1,488 
905 
20,218 
18,4.'59 
3,859 


1S61 


1,798 
75,370 
87,504 
37,150 


1959  112,191  213,182  18,410  49,688  218,092  64,480  75,511  14^  21,063  78,778  96,574 


13,265 
6,652 
4,645 

29,896 

11,022 


12,634 
10,940 

4,006 
3'3,082 

4,802 
10,047 


1,490 

417 

1,323 

8,109 

2,960 


1,970 
1,698 
1,420 
U,007 
1,066 
8,989 


I.Sol 


14,764 
6,0G9 
5,968 

38,005 

13,972 


1861 

14,611 
12,538 

6,432 
44,089 

6,803 
14,036 


PAMPHLET   BINDER 

Syrocuse,  N.   Y. 

Stockton,  Calif. 


DATE  DUE 

'SUlg^ 

g|3p£a| 

aEte"- 

» 1  •  - 

■-'(fH-r. 

rm 

ft^l^T 

DL 

CAYLORO 

PHINTtO  INU.S.A. 

vmw.    ■       gW7557.2.H86 

',1\N       "'^'°^'"'  sketch  of  the  Ceylon  m,ss,on 

mii"llll 'riNr,? '.°^'"'  Se-nmary-Speer  Library 


fji»4:  

1^  ^       1    1012  00044   1487 


h^ 


% 

^t^^ 

Cifll 

^^b'^s^IB 

s 

IN. 


4 


1 

1 

^  ^Wu 


